The Hush Button …

Part of the ‘control tower’

Up in the upper left. Ever met one of these? First time for me too.

I had so much to learn, move, stack, shift and unpack that I just looked it for the whole first seven days I was here, while I learned the other three.

Me saying ‘learned’ up there instead of ‘learnt’ will tell you the learning is ongoing. My control over the downlight switches needs fine tuning.

The fan, which is great, is controlled contrarily. 3 = 1 and 1 = 3 if that makes any sense. Thankfully, all three fans in the house work the same.

The left hand light ‘switch’ works the far four downlights in the living area. The right hand switch operates the nearer downlights.

The kitchen has its own array of controls.

The HUSH button?

I asked Deb from Admin when she came yesterday to talk me through my first monthly EEVI check. Which is a whole other kettle of fish.

The HUSH button will calm the fire alarm, say you set it off accidentally burning your toast, or something.

WiFi Connected …

Snail eating dead fish … even a snail like me can get connected back into the web of life …

So yeah, I’m back online, I’m happy to say. Hotspotting is great if WiFi is impossible due to your geographical position, but it is limiting. For instance anytime I tried to share a post from WordPress to a FaceBook page or to any other platform, for example, I got the We-Are-Having-Trouble-Finding-This-Site screen.

The provider is Connected Australia (www.connectedoz.com.au) and the connection was all done by email and someone talking me through the process on the mobile. The quickest and easiest of the organizational processes I still have to achieve.

Next are a few changes of my address. That should also be as easy as eating pie. Yesterday I was an hour at it trying to convince the MyGov website that yes, I’ve moved house. The good thing about that effort is that my details for Medicare, the ATO and Centrelink were also automatically updated.

I could ask why not the rest of the government institutions connected to the MyGov site. Have to do them by hand, apparently. There’s no logic in that.

One thing AI could be used for is to ferret out such stupidities and correct them. I’d love the government to outlay a few dollars to do a content-defrag in their bureaucracy.

Getting Back Online …

Is a puzzle. The complex comes with an embedded network. Not all providers accept them among their customers. Nor does the embedded network accept ‘others’.

And some of the acceptable providers seem not to be in existence any longer since they were listed.

Luckily I can hot-spot my laptop to my mobile phone, but not ideal. Laptop on footstool in front with a cord to power outlet to my right. Another cord from laptop to hub on the left. Mobile/cell on the couch beside me with a cord to the hub.

No sudden moves recommended. Trippy enough to trip over.

Today I might rustle through the spare cords for one to hotspot the TV to my mobile. Another kind of trippy!

Jury-Rigged Curtains …

Make-believe curtains are the go for the moment, until I decide curtains or blinds.

What kind of ceiling is this?

The carpenters clamps, rope and bed sheets curtains to the side installed by my son, and the highly unusual ceiling detail overhead.

There are four pristine white levels with only two of them faced with painted-over timber for curtain rails and/or blinds to be fixed overhead …

To be fixed overhead on two levels, neither of them ‘regular’ lengths. Which will make it hard to buy off-the-shelf products.

This morning I was distracted while researching indoor necessities by a pageful of Temu growlights, followed by discovering specialist products are not needed to help my plants survive.

It’s too long to wait for plants until the depth of winter to get a decent day of sunlight. So that’s another ongoing search for solutions. Love a good problem to get my teeth into!

Counting down …

Vista seen from the bus station across the road. My unit not visible behind the trees.

Counting down 11 sleeps till moving day.

Filling in forms has been the name of the game for the last couple of days. But … I am an arcane procrastinator and have been putting stuff off all weekend. Like now. Writing a blog post. Pearling out some of the news. And I just wrote a hard letter.

An astounding amount of stuff still to do. Like, pack up the contents of the whole apartment? Stuff I haven’t started. Like, deciding on what I’m not taking? I’m squeezing from a small three bedroom place into a smaller unit with 1 bedroom and what they call a Multi Function Room.

I have four shelf units and place for only three. There is an amazing amount of storage in the new unit. All of it behind cupboard doors, unfortunately, though good for keeping dust out.

Or stuff I’m in the middle of. I’ve started packing the Lego. Though not the models yet. I want to get a few more photo sequences done.

Tim, fixing Nin Wiz’s cabin. Working alone instead of with the rest of the crew, out of pure frustration with a certain person’s obstreperous manner.

Plus, I’m potting up some plants to go while deciding which plants will have to stay behind.

And, not to forget, my new tech to get used to …

… new modem situation. Huh? All looks very tidy but I only recognize the power-point in the lower right, and the modem in the middle right.

Blogging Stats II: Countries

A whole world of people out there reading this blog … I was amazed to find that I had readers from 46! countries.

Forty-four now unfortunately, with readers from the Ukraine and Palestinian Territories falling from the list.

I thank you all for your interest! I know several of you have been reading my work for more than just this blog when we clubbed together with a U-turn from a previous platform, and landed on Google+.

Food: Easy Marinated Tofu

This week have been experimenting with this variation on my normal lunch. I usually have up to three jars of marinated olives and capers in my fridge, decanted from an unhandy 1.7 kg bulk jar too big to fit between the shelves. Since the marinade is tasty and too good to throw out after the olives have been fished out, I now use it to marinate tofu.

If you’re going to try something like this, you’ll need the firmest tofu you can get. Slice it in half centimeter thick slices … I do about three slices a time … and from there into half centimeter cubes. Tip them into the jar with the capers, peppers, and remnants of olives. Stir, and rest in the fridge. I usually can’t resist trying them after two days.

My Lunch:

I always have a plate of lightly steamed leafy greens … some people would say ‘sweated’ greens … but I dislike applying sweated to food. I do it in the microwave, just pile the greens on a plate, and microwave for 45 seconds.

I’m on a diet where I need four and a half cups of cooked greens per week. Instead of fussy measuring I eat steamed greens twice a day every day and call it done.

When I have a quarter of a green apple for my fruit course that day, I slice it and microwave along with the leaves.

Next, I have a heel of bread from a gluten free, mixed grain and seeds loaf spread with ripe avocado. On top the marinated mix, drained, but as it comes out of the jar. Sliced jalapeno peppers, capers, a couple of little cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of the now marinated tofu.

Yum!