Toxic rubbish and Blacktown Council

You know how we all suppose to use the new light globes? Much more energy efficient, one of the pollies pushed through legislation to make the regular incandescent ones illegal. You know the ones, after we'd been using for ages we found out they contained really toxic stuff and shouldn't go into landfill? Mercury isn't it? Nasty stuff. The politicians are so bloody stupid, try to fix one problem (electricity consumption) and create one just as bad (mercury toxicity). So, did the politicians at any level come up with a solution for this little dilemma? No. Garbage disposal being the forte of local council you'd think they'd come up with something even if they weren't the ones to cause the problem. So, we finally have one of our fancy toxic lights blow. We aren't suppose to put it in the rubbish bin. We ring up Blacktown Council to find out what we are suppose to do. We are suppose to hold onto our toxic rubbish until the annual clean up. They don't have any other solution. Luckily, for us this time, it's soon - 26th October but even then it isn't a council-come-to-us thing, we are suppose to save up all our toxic rubbish and deliver it to them at the Rooty Hill depot. They don't have a suggestion for people without cars. I wonder if anyone at all is planning to catch buses and or trains up to Rooty Hill with their light globes? Hey, that's a perfect subject to comment on - leave a comment here if you're planning to take public transport to dispose of your globes at Rooty Hill!

Did I say Wind?

Still, yesterdays wind didn't seem to be as bad as the sensationalist press was making out. Yes we had some wind, and yes it was stronger than the other day, but there's been no trees down around here. We didn't lose any washing off the line although we did eventually bring it in. Everything dried really fast! This morning everything is quiet and calm.

I don't think it's winter any more...

What an amazing day so far! Really warm, promising to be positively hot at this rate. Bit scary really, I wonder what summer will be like? The grass is finally mown, first time for the season. Not that it makes the place look tidy, that would be too much for me. Such a quiet suburb here I can't think of anything else to write! Have a lovely weekend!

The Wind!

Amazing how windy it is. The air smells really clean. I want to wash everything in the house coz, for the first time in months, it will dry so fast! Have to watch my skin though, it's dry enough as it is, if I go out in this wind without moisturiser on it gets really bad. No trees blown down yet close to me. The plum tree is losing it's petals in the wind so it looks like snow. White petals floating on the fish tank. All very lovely. Pity I have to go to work.

Weather

Yesterday was so warm! I watched a softball game up at Glenmore Park. They don't have any shade there so I can see it being too hot later in the season. It was lovely yesterday. Of course the warm weather couldn't last, today it's raining. Not cold yet, but very raining.

Big bangs around here last night. Everyone thought it must be fire crackers. Hoping so at least. And the fire over in the reserve? Just over the hill so I couldn't see what was actually burning. It seemed quite big.

btw, I did get to the festival, heard a young woman with a remarkable voice singing on stage by herself. It was her last song of course, only got to hear part of one. Don't know her name but I hope she keeps going with her singing. Good voice, and doesn't just sing, she uses her voice.

The Coles in Ropes Crossing is open, just in case you hadn't noticed. There's been a few good specials.

Spring has sprung

With lots and lots of rain. Enough to leave puddles and turn big parts of the reserve into a big mud puddle - especially where it lost ground cover and hadn't had time to regrow after the 'hazard reduction' by the fire brigade.

Still, no more frosts, downpours, and now the grass is growing again, so fast we really should mow today. Don't know if we'll get round to it. Should. It's long already! Maybe it hasn't dried enough to mow yet? That'd be it!

Burnt Reserve

This is what happens when the local fire brigade decide to do a cleanup of what they consider a fire hazard. They burnt off the long dry grass in Tregear Reserve, in itself not a huge problem, except they never control it properly - all the trees in the long grass area ended up on fire too. I don't think the trees were a fire hazard. I'm not even sure the long grass is, especially as that is where all the new tree saplings are, but when our local pyromaniacs are in full swing they do burn the grass. Funny enough there hasn't been any pyromania in the reserve for ages. My cynical side says maybe there wasn't enough work for the local fireies and maybe they were missing their regular hit of flames....

Frost and private roads.

Of course the frost is back. What else would we expect? It's still August so the frost is back. The rain the last few days has been light and pleasant. But the frost is back.

Has anyone else noticed the road into Ropes Crossing from the roundabout on Forrester has two signs on it? The first is the name of the road, Ropes Crossing Bvd and the second is "Private Road". Private Road??? It was a private road before the suburb was made, it just lead into an industrial area. On the older street directory it's marked as an unnamed private road. It does make me wonder if they accidentally on purpose forget to remove the old sign when they put the road name sign up.... I might send an email to RTA. If I get down there with a camera with me I'll take a photo. I've been trying to remember to do that for days since it was pointed out to me.....

Festivals and elections

See the Google News? Tregear Festival is on August 30, usual place, corner of Aurora and Wilkes. I usually get up there for it, usually manage to find something interesting. The other news item is the Blacktown Council election on September 13. Not half as interesting as the festival. Except for the info that there is 62 people running for 15 spots!! That's going to make voting ... ummm ... "oh great" was the comment I heard. Not as bad as Penrith: 83 for 15 spots. Gee. The festival is going to be a lot more fun!

Even the weather is more fun than that. Still cold in the mornings and if there's a breeze it's too cool without a jacket during the day. Light frost when I took the dog out this morning. Very clean air tho, smells very good the last few days. Except for St Marys station - one of the industrial places across the road was pumping out burnt plastic smell today. It's not as bad as the rotten onion body odour smell, but it's probably more toxic.

Warm and light

The light is finally catching up with my wake up time. Yesterday it was lovely to notice that there was light when I woke up. And today is so perfectly warm. I just want to curl up and drowse. Not even sure I want to read a book, but of course I end up on the net. Talking about being outside in the sun....

bye