So this year’s Mother’s Day in Sydney (and NSW in general) will be at least partly spoiled by the NSW government. All thanks to two – that’s 2 (only one more than ONE!) – cases of covid (apparently) being found in some part of Sydney. The state government are imposing some further restrictions for a three day period. Masks are to be worn for the next three days on public transport and shops and in pubs and restaurants, but of course not when eating or drinking. It just makes life a little more difficult doesn’t it. And the new rules will include this Sunday. All for these two supposed cases. Of which we know very little. Like are these people dying? Are they even ill? Is it just that they have anti-bodies (naturally or otherwise)? Who knows? Nobody in government or most of the media ever asks these questions. Frankly I couldn’t care less. I just wish these people would grow up.

I tend to get most of my news from the radio these days when I am driving. When I heard about the new “covid restrictions” being imposed the following story was about the vaccines. It reported that there had been six (that’s 6 ! Four more than 2) cases of blood clots from people who had recently received the vaccine. But the news reader simply read that part out and moved on to something else. After a few minutes on the previous news item of the 2 covid “cases”. Unbelievable isn’t it? Sadly it’s true and it’s happening. All too often.

At least here in Australia there is an alternative voice in the media which does ask the questions I posed above. Sky News Australia articles can be found on YouTube as well as the TV. They do try to show up the government’s knee-jerk reactions – and more.

Actually, I have just remembered. This Sunday Dani has another birthday party. In one of those activity places with games and trampolines and climbing frames etc… Usually packed full of germ ridden kids spreading and exchanging their bacteria like a load of two legged viruses in a petri dish like environment. Sounds great! Wonder if it will be cancelled?

NSW Gift Voucher Scheme

The state of New South Wales has implemented a cash giveaway scheme to inject some money into the local economy. It is called ‘Dine and Discover’. We got ours a couple of days ago. I guess other states are doing similar so called ‘stimulus’ schemes.

Basically they are giving every adult in NSW $100 worth of vouchers. There are four vouchers each worth $25. Two ($50 worth) can be spent in the hospitality sector such as pubs and restaurants, while the other two are for entertainment and cultural activities such as concerts or entry to certain attractions. The official line is “to encourage the community to get out and about and support dining, arts and recreation businesses.” Encourage? Hardly. Who is gong to turn down the chance of free money? Then again, that old saying springs to mind, “Nothing is free”. It all has to be paid for somehow.

We had to wait a while as obviously when the government is handing over cash – or in this case gift vouchers – for free, then there will always be people eager to wait in line. Personally I think it’s bloody crazy but hey. If it’s there for the taking why not? It will only go to someone else if we do not claim what is rightfully our share of this mad handout. As far as I am concerned my vouchers will be spent in one particular area of the hospitality sector. One that I have already been supporting right the way through this “pandemic” – when they have been allowed to open that is… $50 still buys a few beers over here.

It begs the question: Wouldn’t it have been better not to tank the economy in the first place by forcing businesses to shutdown and then not have to inject wads of cash to get it going again? Just a thought….

Medicare

This week I actually got around to submitting my application for Medicare for Dani and myself. Dani’s mum does not qualify being (full) Spanish, but as I am a British citizen I qualify under a reciprocal agreement for free health care between the two countries.

I wasn’t sure Dani would qualify as his passport is Spanish but after a quick check the ladies in the office said that he did. He will now be on my Medicare card when it arrives. Again it’s free medical care so although we already have private health insurance (a re-requisite to getting the visa) this will be easier to use as most medical places charge first when private insurance is used then you claim it back. With Medicare most (I am told) do not charge as it is covered by the state. We shall see how that actually works in practice. Not that I am keen to use any of the medical services of course.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know about this or that I hadn’t completed the paperwork. It was just that every time I went near the office there was always a long queue just to get in the bloody building. This particular day however there was only a queue inside the building.

Once inside one of the two security guards asked me had I experienced any covid symptoms. I just said “no” but could have easily said something like, “No mate, I have been too ill with TB and the Hep. C hasn’t helped.” I am sure he wouldn’t have known what to say. The world has gone covid nuts. It’s like there is no other illness or ailment. So pathetic.

Looking Forward…

The future does not seem good for us being able to travel out,  then fly back into Australia. Not in the foreseeable future at least (I think). They are not even allowing Australian citizens to return to their own country! I know that sounds bizarre but it is all down to the numbers and how many they can deal with in “quarantine” when they return. Still, I find that failure to recognise their own citizens rights a scandal.

While we commemorated an excellent ANZAC Day with a fairly large gathering of people, other parts of Australia were not so lucky. In Victoria (that most communist of states in Australia it has to be said) old aged veterans were barred from attending services as the numbers were strictly limited. To 400 – or was it 4000? Anyway the crowd size limit was relatively small. So many veterans and indeed many other citizens were unable to really take part.

Yet later in the same day a crowd of 75,000 attended an Aussie Rules Football game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (aka MCG). Unbelievable right? The same state officials allowed this to happen were the ones locking out old veterans wanting to pay their respects to their fallen comrades. It beggars belief doesn’t it?

In Western Australia…

Meanwhile in Western Australia (WA) they have recently had a Covid panic. Apparently a few tested positive (whatever the hell that even means these days) in hotel quarantine. I think. Again, as I pay such little attention to the propaganda bullshit news these days I may not be fully accurate with that but it’s close enough. The knee jerk reaction of the WA “leaders” was to close the state border and lock everyone down (again) for several days. This included ANZAC Day.

Fools…

These people are lunatics. Idiots. They allow 75,000 to watch a game then come out with random (new) figures each week for how many can attend a wedding or funeral. And then whether or not they can dance or sing at these events. Really! They must sit around a table once a week while one person selects an event/activity card blindly from a sack (at random like a prize draw) while another presses a random number generator button for how many people can take part in said selected event. At least I hope that’s how they do. Because the alternative is too scary. If they are sitting in an office thinking they are producing these numbers scientifically and correctly then we have truly had it! It is utter madness.

But who are the real fools? The fools who make the stupid rules or the fools who follow them?

Anyway. Time to climb off my soap-box again…For now… Enjoy the week ahead.

Yesterday was a busy day for Daniel. A very full day; involving a sporting debut, hard partying and a trip to an iconic venue for some live sport.

International Sporting Debut

In the morning Dani played his first ever official football match. His first football game representing one of his school’s teams in the local kids league. That’s real football – soccer if you prefer… It is a seven-aside game which is great for kids that age. No sense at all in playing on a full size football pitch at that age.

Clearly a novice, he was substituted a couple of times (as were one or two others). A few of the squad had clearly been playing for a couple of years or more. The difference in class was stark but Dani was not alone. There were two others in his team who were just as bad. Or should that be ‘just as good’? It was quite funny to watch. They lost but managed to score three goals. Dani said the official score was 5-3. I think the other team scored more like 7 or 8. I lost count actually. Anyway the main thing was that he enjoyed it. He will improve.

Party On Dudes!

Within a couple of hours after the football match he was off to a party at the home of one of his classmates. An eighth birthday party full of year 3 boys. The birthday boy’s sister (who is in year 6 of the same school) organised a live game of ‘Among Us’ and according to Dani she did a great job. I think there is a little bit of a crush going on there…

If you don’t know what that is I can tell you that it is a kids video game and that particular age group absolutely love it. The theme of the party was in fact ‘Among Us’. The boys absolutely loved it. they all seemed completely worn out when all the parents turned up to collect them. Take a look at the photos and you will se why. It looks like something out of that infamous John Belushi movie, Animal House. A Frat House Party!

No rest for the wicked. Back home to change then off out again to meet some of Dani’s mum’s colleagues at a bar near to a sporting event we had tickets for.

The ‘Footie’

Mostly worn out we dragged him to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for his first live Aussie Rules Football game. The ‘footie’ as they say here. The Sydney Swans vs The Geelong Cats. I really thought he might fall asleep before the end but he enjoyed it. The games last two hours which is way too long for me but this particular game was exciting right to the very end. Sydney Swans scoring to take the lead in the final minutes and then somehow holding out even in the final seconds. Amazing advert for the game and one that Dani will not forget in a hurry. There was a decent sized crowd there too. I reckoned about 30,000.

It was not my first taste of Aussie Rules but I till think it is an odd game. For one thing there’s 7 or 8 referees involved although I couldn’t really count them as they never kept still. Plus I had had several beers during the course of the game. It was one of those occasions. Honest.

By the time we left the stadium and walked to our bus route it was quite late. Needless to say Daniel was absolutely knackered. That was one full day.

In fact, it was such a busy day that we forgot that Sunday is Mother’s Day – in Spain! I suppose Dani forgot it really. Well, at least I remembered Mother’s Day in the UK (just). And the eAustralian Mther’s Day is next week!