Lambethlad

We use Apex Car Hire in Cairns. We think they are the best and cheapest.

Temperature right now in Canberra is 3 degrees - Cairns is 23 degrees - so it's an easy choice. You just need a house with a pool to live in Cairns.

It's about 6 degrees here south east of Melbourne but with the wind-chill factor I reckon it would be close to zero. Nevermind - I've got the log fire roaring and it's lovely and toasty sitting here in my underwear. Good news that the 8 year old autistic boy lost in the snow at Falls Creek has been found alive.

Yes it says it all. But I should have said I didn't write it. It appeared on facebook this morning. I'm an uneducated old fart with probably below average intellect so I could never write anything that good.

Money-obsessed and anti-working class – the liberal left has revealed its ugly side. Those on the liberal left have always prided themselves on being more caring and compassionate than conservatives. People on the right, they insist, are narrow-minded and selfish, beholden to vested interests. They only care about money and themselves. They are bad people. This is one of the most persistent myths of modern times. I’ve never believed it. Selfishness transcends politics. Those on the left are just as given as conservatives to self-interest, bigotry and dislike of people different to themselves. And, my word, over the past couple of weeks, following Britain’s vote to leave the UK, haven’t we seen just how. The illusion of the liberal-left’s inherent and exclusive capacity for compassion has truly been exploded. Consider the recent March for Europe in London, to demand that the will of the people be revoked and that corporate-backed oligarchy be restored. Rich, metropolitan types have shamelessly complained about the result because their holidays in Europe will henceforth become more expensive. They fear for their second homes in Tuscany and the south of France. People have been saying this openly. The burghers of north London fear they might no longer get dirt-cheap nannies and au pairs from Eastern Europe. They fret about the staff on the sainted NHS, staff trained at the expense of poorer countries who we in the UK have since hired on the cheap. Corporate types fear for the future of immigrant workers, those magnificently exploited souls who live six to a room on three-month contracts being paid a minimum wage or less. Such outrageous displays of greed haven’t been witnessed since the heady days of Thatcherism. Consider, too, the ceaseless insults hurled at the stupid, poor white people who voted to leave the EU. These are folk who struggle to maintain a first home, let alone a second – people who can barely afford to go on holiday at all. These are the fishermen, from Aberdeen to Hull to Ramsgate to Hastings to Cornwall, whose livelihoods have been devastated by the EU – the same fishermen taunted by Bob Geldof and his champagne-swilling chums. These are the people living in Peterborough and Boston who can’t get doctor’s appointments or find school places for their children because hospitals and schools are overwhelmed. These are people whose small businesses have been ruined by Operation Stack in Kent, whereby lorries clog up the roads for miles, the result of Schengen Area free movement that has led to the mayhem in Calais. Consider those people in Wales who faced the daily, humiliating reminder that their economy was dependent on hand-outs from the EU. Consider, too, all these English people in Dover and Folkestone who know Poles and Latvians, not as cheap domestic staff but as neighbours, parents of their children’s schoolfriends, as equals. All these people slandered as vermin and racists.

I am surprised that council will allow you to do that.

With two young kids I would suggest a few days on the Gold Coast and take in all the theme parks. Coconuts Holiday resort in Cairns is a great place to stay with young kids. My favourite place is Port Douglas but there's not much there for kids. We have just returned from 10 days up there with our 5 year old grand daughter. We spent 6 days in Port Douglas and the rest at Vision Apartments on the Esplanade in Cairns. There is no beach in Cairns but we were close to the Cairns Lagoon and Muddy's Water playground and the Cairns Night Markets.

Another example of property market madness in Sydney. http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/sydney-woman-rejects-back-dollar26m-offer-on-home/ar-AAhBxSg?ocid=spartanntp

I wish I had had the guts to back my instincts and put my money on it. Shouldn't have listened to the so-called experts.

Last time I was there was 5 years ago but have been many times over last 25 years. I've never bothered with any jabs or tabs and never had a problem so I wouldn't worry about it.

Where in Melbourne are you wanting to live?

Good luck with that. Melbourne house prices are still growing. I would think you would have to look at least 30kms from Collingwood to find a house for that price. Where I live in Frankston you can still get nice houses for under $500,000 and it's a good place to live with great beaches and infrastructure and good rail and road access to the city.

What is an "escape room"?

I had a couple of thousand dollars taken out of my account in Canada. I didn't know about it until the bank called and asked had I been in Canada. Turns out the Russians who ran the servo/lunch shop next to my work had been skimming the info off cards of thousands of customers. That explained why the shop had closed down a week prior and the Russians had done a runner and as far as I know they got away with it. Clever bastards those Russians.

Do it but keep away from Sydney. There's much nicer and cheaper places in Oz.

That's a good idea. Even though most of the kids are so badly damaged they are beyond help. If we could only identify some with potential and get them into a safe learning environment away from the influence of their toxic communities it would be start. Then I suppose we would have problems with the parents who would refuse to let them go.

Very interesting stuff. I reckon Chinese investment is the only thing the Oz economy has going for it at the moment and it seems they are buying into all levels of the residential property market. For the last 9 months I have been going through the process of obtaining planning approval for three townhouses on a property I have in Frankston which is at the lower end of the market in Melbourne. I was talking to a real estate agent about foreign investment in Melbourne and made the comment "it's a shame the Chinese are only interested in the top end of the market" and he said "actually they have been buying development-sized properties in Frankston". I didn't really believe him until two months later I received a letter out of the blue from a Chinese gentleman acting for a real estate investment company offering to buy my property at a premium price. I had planned to sell the property when I had final council approval and permits but how did the Chinese bloke know this? Or do they just randomly send letters to owners of desirable properties. Anyway I will send him the plans and permits to him when I get final approval and he can make an offer and if it's a good one I will accept - I would be mad not to.

A few years ago a friend of mine moved to a NT aboriginal settlement town. His wife was a teacher with a social conscience and had always wanted to try and make a difference in the lives of aboriginal children. On the day they arrived they were just settling in to their house when a group of aboriginal males turned up making threats and telling her how they were going to rape her. Over the next few days the abuse and threats continued so they had no choice but to leave for their own safety.

Yes, but she was only 14 and got let off with a good behaviour bond. She has since been jailed many times including for assault and burglary with weapons so she is no angel but I would still give her one more chance.

I would give her one more chance. I know it could be argued she has been jailed 11 times so she has had plenty of chances to reform already but this is the first time she has been threatened with deportation.

Is this fair? Normally I have no problem sending criminals back to where they came from. This 30 yo woman has been in Oz 28 years from the age of 2 - she has five children. She never obtained Oz citizenship. I think an exception should be made in this case. It would be extremely cruel to separate her from her children and send her to a place where she has no family and no connection with. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3605123/Geelong-mother-five-facing-deportation-Australia-England-extensive-criminal-past.html

Terrorism seems likely to be responsible. It has been reported a dual British Australian citizen is amongst the victims.

And yet they still come! Why? Probably because in spite of everything, Australia is still a much nicer place than the UK.

Merimbula/Pambula in NSW. Cowes/Philip Island Victoria.