nomadpete

Well, Nev I am not making it up. My Harley mate loved his Harleys. I worked with him for 15yrs. That was 20 years ago - they might well have improved. But he only had big miles up on the Honda, and his Harleys were always giving him costly problems. In fact, he mentioned once that the Honda logbook only had one failure outside regular maintenance + tyres and battery in 90,000k. And that was for failed instrument lamps. And when I sold my Virago, it had 129,000k on it. It is not a GP copy. It has a soft ride, on a wide low seat, in a posture that enabled me to ride when my bad back prevented me riding a conventional road bike. The logbook had nil failures that would have you walking home. It's previous owner rode it across from Perth. Don't get me wrong - it was no performance beast. But it was a very reliable, comfortable cruiser. As for resale value, I didn't buy it as an investment. And I sold it for $500 more than I paid for it. No, not BS.

A plastic harley probably outperforms a 'real' Harley. My 1100cc Yamaha Virago had Over 100,000k on the clock. But my pro Harley friends always had sad stories about Harley reliability. One even admitted that although he had 3 HD's, (loved em), for any interstate trips, he used the Honda Gold Wing because it never gave him any trouble. Harley love is a bit like Alfa Romero lovers. They love their brand, but wouldn't choose it for a comfortable successful trip.

No, Nev. Our local yokels aren't gazillionaires.

I showed that to my wife. All I got was a blank, nonplussed stare. Suddenly I decided not to explain.....

They are just copying the capitalism that USA taught them.

Quicker, Except for some of those floating, gentle bounce, wheeler landings.... But remember, most of the pilots were young, and had just stepped out of their Tiger moth with maybe ten hours pic time.

At which point, I sense a wry smile cross Nev's lips. So glad he got out of grapes when he did.

You must have been there when my BIL was stuck in Armidale. He said he had a hard time getting up Moonbi. Then he gave up and slept in the car. I told him it was about time he got out of the house and had some adventures.... But he didn't see the lighter side of it.

I've got an answer. I just rediscovered Rocky & Bullwinkle. (A Youtoob revisit to my childhood). I realise that 60 years ago the children of America were sitting in front of TV devouring Rocky & Billwinkle cartoons. And I realise that when viewed through the cynical lens of Rocky & Bullwinkle, watching the present American circus play out, no longer feels surprising. That old cartoon series was teaching nine year olds of the day (now the voters who put an orange clown into the top seat) about cynical politics, human nature, and philosophy! If you don't believe me, watch a couple of the clips.

At first terrump two was worrying. Then it got crazy. Now its just getting ridiculous. If it was the script for a B grade comedy, nobody would bother to watch it. Why do we?

That plan didn't work out very well for Wagner's boss.

Is SFM still running Tourism Au?

Glad to hear you got some rain OME

Speak for yourself, Nev

Trees? I love em. Our sanctuary is not without risk. The last one that fell over over is a metre across at the base. I borrowed a splitter and have gifted a couple of tonnes of firewood to friends & neighbours. All good. Manage the risk. Better than livin in the concrete jungle (city) & hoping for the government to look after us.

Nev, you are such a worry wort. everyone does their own risk assessment

No no no no.... remember the great flying days in good ole Australian skies? Otherwise you'll never come back. I was looking forward to sharing a glass or two with you. (BTW there's hardly any giant moths down here nowadays.)

Twas a nice day for flying or riding..... for folk who have a quality anorak. The day started at +2 degrees, the grass was white and crunchy underfoot but it 'warmed' right up to double digits! Better down here than the mainland - my brother-in-law is trapped in a supermarket carpark @ Armidale - snowed in. No vacancies in town. The New England Hwy is closed by snow/ice.

I doubt that Australia was legally bound by supply contracts - that relate to the 21 aforementioned (as yet) UNDEVELOPED fossil fuel mines.

A brief comparison.... Trump..... "Drill baby, drill!" Albo.... Quietly approves 20 NEW fossil fuel mining projects! Trump..... Cancel climate targets. Albo..... Quietly backs away from climate targets (whilst the opposition tables a plan to cancel targets completely) Is Albo just a more polite trump?

So far, classic capitalism is still hanging on in USofA. At least, it is for the top 1% of the wealthy elites But now, it is starting to show the equally classic signs of reaching a critical high from which a total collapse is inevitable. I believe either Stalin or Lenin foretold of this pathway. If this occurs, what is the likely outcome and what timeframe can we expect?

All the rest I am disgusted by, but reluctantly agree with. Life continues...... Downhill for us plebs.

We do so have football teams! Lots of em! Who cares if one particular footy team has delusions of grandeur? And, it's only a small part of Australia that even knows Hawthorn even exists!

Oh, also..... We don't really care whether you even care about the football.

G'day Natn. I sympathise with your disillusionment about your government. But unfortunately we have similar stories about some of our own government. Jerry has summarised what to expect if (or when) you arrive in Australia to study. Although he implies that he might be an Englishman, he is actually an Australian - living temporarily in the UK. He knows the situation well. He might also shed some light on the comparison between the study options in UK and Australia.