Coldest November in over 100 years

Today was the coldest November in 100 years in Sydney. It would normally be a hot summers day but lows of 8 degrees were recorded overnight which is the temperature you would expect on a winters day. Previous low of 7.4 was recorded in 1905. Peolple all around Sydney have been digging up there winter warmers. Fortunately this cold spell is only expected to last a day or two.

Insurance Refund

A Couple of weeks ago we moved to a new house. So I phoned the motor insurance company to have my address details updated. On giving my new address details the lady told me she has to see if my premiums had changed. To my delight I was told I would get a refund of $170 which is about 20% if my annual premium, so I guess we must have moved to a safer area. At least if will cover some of te cost of travelling further to the train station and having to catch the bus home.

Lunch at Cafe Nine

We were invited out for lunch today by INS to thank us for the data that we provided them. This allows them to manage future projections and has helped in identifying poor performing areas. I had a chicken parmegian which was very nice. It came with a heap on chips. Must have been from 2 large potatoes. It was very kind of them to take us out to show there appreciation.

Miner's 14 day ordeal

Two miners in Beaconsfield Tasmania have finally been rescued after a tremour which caused a rock fall trapped the men 925m underground. The men were located on the fourth day and a rescue went underway. Resuers had to get through 30 meters of rock to reach the miners. They commenced by drilling holes in the rock then inserting small explosives. At 10 meters it was too dnagerous to continue using explosives, so a special drill machine was assembled which would drill a 1 meter wide tunnel to just under the miners. Hand tools where then used to go up toward the trapped miners.

After being rescued the miners requested a shower before walking out of the mine to meet the family and friends. All were elated with the rescue. The men were later taken t o hospital for observation. Sadly a third man perished in the rock fall and the two men attendid his funeral in the afternoon.

Gym membership increase

Went to the gym to renew my membership, but the lady who gave me hard time yesterday was not there. The chap there signed me up no problem, didn't even need to see a staff card. He just asked if was staff and away I you go. The bad thing is that last week membership had increaed from $90 to $150 for three months. Just as well they were having a special so I got one months free membership.

Hey dude, where's my car

In the mornings I drop my wife off at work then drop my daughter off at school, then park the car near the train station to catch the train to work. This afternoon my wife phones and asks where I parked. I told her "Where I normally park, third road from the station". Usually she would fetch my daughter from after school care before going to the car, but today she went grocery shopping and wanted to drop the groceries in the car first.

Now she tells me the car is not there. Now Im thinking, did I park somewhere else. I rack my brain trying to remember ... I'm sure I parked it near the bottom of the road but my wife tells me she didn't see it there. Then I tell her that someone must have stolen the car. Oh, wait a minute, she's found the car. She had walked right past it. Nearly gave me a heart attack with my near high blood pressure.

Frustrated by with Gym

Today I went down to the Gym only to be told that I could not go in because my membership had expired. As normal I leave my wallet in the office as it is safer there. So I came all the way up to get my credit card and went all the way back. The lady at the counter proceeded to fill in my details then asked for my staff card. As a contract employee I do not get a staff card which I explained to her, but she was relentless in her decision. I even told her I was on the staff directory and she could look it up on the internet, but she was still unmoved saying that it was possible that I did not work there anymore. Strange thing is when I joined, I was not required to show proof that I was a staff member, so I suppose it depend on who is behind the counter on the day. The only way I can join now is to get a letter of employment, which I have now got. Hopefully she will be there again tomorrow so that I can shove it in her face.

Interest rate hike

The reserve bank today announced an increase of 0.25 percent in interest rate to 5.75%. Many families who are still paying of there home loans will be hard hit by this. Families with a loan of $200000 can expext to pay an extra $20 per month and those with a $400000 loan will pay an extra $68 a month. Some families may not be able to afford the increased payments and may be forced to sell or lose their home. It's a wonder what effect this increase will have on the house prices. New buyers will have to redo their maths and find out what they can now afford. I would expect house prices to drop if vendos wish to sell their house.

I am currently renting and still busy looking for a new home. My wife and I have been at if for about a year now and have seen drop in house prices over the year. Hopefully we will see a further drop in prices so that we could afford a new home.