This Perth Life

A Place in the Sun?

I was interviewed yesterday over the phone by a very nice journalist for a piece in the magazine "A Place in the Sun" which is a Channel 4 tv show in the UK.

During the interview he asked me why we had moved (answer: husband's job) and what the greatest plus was. This was easy to answer, the lifestyle change to our kid's upbringing.

We've been here for nearly 5 years now and I still enjoy and relish seeing them running around in the open air with big smiles on their faces. I don't worry about them catching a cold, picking up cigarette butts, getting dog poo on their feet, wondering why their favourite piece of play equipment is out of action due to vandals and I could go on and on.

So sometimes, when day to day life gets the better of me and I can't see the wood for the trees, I'll remember this interview and my answers and I'll soon have a smile on my face!

Grafitti Crack Down

Rail Line Grafitti
Originally uploaded by Wyrmworld.

It's about time.

When we arrived in Perth nearly 5 years ago, there was hardly any graffitti. In fact it was one of the things that I mentioned to family, the lack of graffitti was noticable.

Not any more. Now it seems to be everywhere.

Finally the Government are doing something about it and introducing fines of up to $24,000 and up to 2 years in jail.

But will it stop them? Has anyone actually seen a graffitti "artist" at work? They seem to do all their work at night under the cover of darkness. I've certainly never seen anyone actually doing graffitti but I have seen graffitti magically appear overnight. 

I just hope it works. 

Runaway Bin

Wheelie Bin
Originally uploaded by thisperthlife.

A few weekends ago our green wheelie bin went walkabout. Or should that be rollabout or wheelabout?

Whichever one you choose, the bin disappeared overnight.

You know when you feel ever so slightly muddled in the morning? Well that's how I felt when my husband said, on his way out of the front door with the dog, "You did put the bin out last night didn't you?"

(It's my job to put the bins out each Thursday night as he's away at soccer practice and obviously it's far too late at 9pm for him to start wheeling bins around. Yes, you can read sarcasm into my tone here.)

"Yes" said I quickly scanning my brain for the memory of actually doing the job the previous night. "Well it's not there now" says he.

And he was right, the bin had gone. Not only that but my next door neightbours on either side didn't seem to have theirs either and I could have sworn that at last one neighbour had theirs out before I did mine. Why I notice these things is beyond me.

So I get onto the fountain of all knowledge, the website for my local council and put in "bins", I find the number to call, speak to a lovely person who tells me that I will have a new bin delivered on Monday. I mention that my neighbours bins seems to have disappeared too and she orders ones for them too.

Bit later on in the morning and neighbours have both put their bins out (turns out it had been windy the night previously and they had put them out and then brought them back in again, obviously just to confuse me) so on I get to the lovely person and tell them that I was mistaken and to cancel next door neighbours bins order, whilst sounding quite sheepish.

Sunday morning and we drive up the road to eldest son's soccer match and there at the end of the road is a lonesome bin, on the verge and looking decidedly abandoned. "That's our bin" I yell as we go past. Am I very sad to get excited about seeing a wheelie bin?

No time to stop so we decided to get said bin on the way home. Both uof us end up forgetting and husband has come home a different way anyway, therefore not reminding me by going past the bin again. Afternoon comes and I suddenly remember, so I walk out of the front door slap bang into the bin with a note on it. Turns out one of the neighbours had seen it and decided to walk it home for us.

Monday morning there's me on the phone to a lovely person at the council once again to say please don't deliver a bin this morning, sounding even more sheepish.

Mental note - walk the streets within a mile vicinity of the house if the bin goes missing again AND THEN phone the council.

Where Did It Go?

Storm Front
Originally uploaded by thisperthlife.

OK we were warned. Newspapers, TV Weather Channel, News Stations, Internet all had it. BIG STORM ON WAY!

Rottnest Ferries were cancelled for the first time in 10 years.

All the talk at school was about the best way to tie down trampolines so that they didn't end up in next door's pool.

Eldest son was warned that BIG STORM was on it's way and that if he was woken in the middle of the night that's what it was and not to worry.

Husband was out on the town last night and quite prepared to arrive home soaked to the skin having had a hair raising taxi drive up the freeway.

So what happened?

No high winds in the middle of the night. No lashing rain. No patio furniture skidding about and frightening the dog.

Where did it go?

So far, I haven't been able to find out. The news sites still have the "Brace Yourselves"  and "Wild Weather" headlines. Can anyone else fill me in?

Brrrr, Told You it Could Get Cold

Burns Beach
Originally uploaded by thisperthlife.

I know, I know, I've heard it all before (many times from my relatives in the UK) but it does get chilly here especially when you've acclimatised.

I was trying to explain it to my brother a couple of weeks ago when I was telling him that when it's 18c and you're in the shade with a bit of a wind blowing it can be quite chilly.

He, as normal, was scoffing at me. 18c to him is shorts weather.

So I tried a different tack. I got him to concede that the normal temperature differences in the UK can be as low as -10c in the Winter and up to 34c in the Summer. He agreed with this so then I said that the differences in Perth can be as low as 0 in the Winter and up to 44c in the Summer. So far so good.

Then I explained to him that whilst 18c seems warm to him it was the equivalent of 8c to us. That's when he went a little quiet and after a few prompts conceded that was he wouldn't be wearing his shorts in 8c and would be complaining of the cold a little bit in those circumstances.

Result!

So when I tell him on our next phone call that it went down to 0 last night (which is the equivalent of -10c to him) and we don't have the benefits of double glazing and central heating I expect him to finally agree with me!

No to Daylight Savings Vote

Sun setting over Cottesloe Beach

by sunrise.seven.

So it's a No.

We won't be getting Daylight Savings this Summer or any other Summer for a good few years.

I have to say that my family are quite sad about this.

It means that my two testostorone filled boys won't be able to kick a football around the garden with their Dad after he gets home from work. 

It means that they will wake up early (as the Sun is going to rise at 5am which is the middle of the night as far as I'm concerned), so let's hope that the wooden blinds and black out linings on their curtains work! 

It means that we wont be able to go down to the beach to watch the sun setting after tea as it will be setting during tea time instead. 

I've heard plenty from people who like to get up early and go for a walk. Early being very early. And my husband knows of someone who likes to go for a swim at 5am. 5am??? Isn't that still shark feeding time?

What is it about early mornings here? Why do people have to go for a walk at 5am?

Apparently, according to most NO voters, the good thing is that my boys will now go to bed on time. Oh wait, my boys already went to bed on time because I don't use the "the sun has gone to bed and therefore so must you" line on them, we tend to use a clock and therefore time in our house. Anyway, after they've been playing in the garden with Dad, they're tired out and want to sleep. No, hang on, they won't be tired out now becasue they won't be playing in the garden with Dad because it's going to be dark. So maybe my boys won't be tired enough for bed and then get woken up at some ungodly hour in the morning because of the light.

Excellent.

I know it's a democratic vote, but with nearly half of the voters saying yes it means that nearly half are unhappy with the outcome which can't be right either.

I have a gut feeling that there are plenty of permanet residents out there that would have voted yes but couldn't because they can't vote. Maybe this will get them motivated to become citizens? After all if you don't have a voice, you can't complain.

Daylight Savings Rally

daylight savings
by Man met bril.

The thing about the upcoming daylight savings vote is that you are either voting it in or out. Don't be put off by the start and end dates, these can be changed in the future to suit more people but if it isn't voted in then that's that and there's no more debate.

If people vote it in then there can be date changes, for instance to maybe end it earlier at the end of February instead of the end of March.

But if it's voted no then there's no more debate.

For that reason, and if you support Daylight Savings, get yourself down to South Perth Foreshore this coming Saturday 9th May 2009 at 11am to 12 noon and show your support.   

Snakes on a Plane

If you've ever seen this film you'll know how stupid it is. Husband got it out on DVD once or was it on Foxtel? I can't remember and it really doesn't matter why I watched it but the terrible memories of watching this film came back to me today as I read this piece of news that a load of reptiles enroute to Perth Airport in an Esky have been intercepted.

For all you anglophiles an Esky is a cool box.

Pretty big esky I'm presuming, since it had 34 beasts in it including a death adder, several pythons and various types of lizards. 

I've got shivers running down my spine now just thinking about snakes on a plane.

Win with M&S

M&S (aaaah pork pies) are offering you a chance to win a £250 gift card from them just by completing a 5 minute Home and Abroad survey. I have done so already as I want to be the winner!!!!

The offer finishes on 30 April so you have a week left to complete it. You can spend it online or in stores and if you buy online, don't forget that they now deliver to Australia.

Good luck!

New Star of YouTube

Well Susan Boyle from Britain's Got Talent may be the new star of YouTube but here in WA we have another star - My Cousin Oskaar!

You can watch him having a bit of a rant (and watch out, there's quite a bit of swearing) about Daylight Savings and the fact that Iceland gets only 4 hours of daylight in Winter by clicking on the link here.

It's quite funny but it's true - don't waste your hours of daylight!