November, 2019

Have managed to be under 27mm of rain during the month but more is badly needed or the green tinge will be back to brown again. Most of the state is still drought stricken and the government is spending money in a haphazard fashion supposedly to help the farmers. Seems to me that once drought is declared in an area the best way to help would be for the government to pay a percentage of the rates of the farmers and business folk. This would mean that city folk would be aiding the bush via their taxes as well.

Have also finished second of six planned treatments for my bladder cancer.For those wondering, a treatment consists of emptying the bladder and then inserting a chemical mixture for two hours to attack the cancer cells growing on the inside of the bladder.This is then drained and life returns to normal for another week. After six weeks there will be a gap and on 9 January a further inspection of the interior of the bladder will be made to decide on what the next phase of treatment may be.

Marg had her annual trip to her neurologist in Brisbane re her epilepsy and after seven years he has decided that unless she has an episode there is no need for her to return each year so that's one less trip to Brisbane.

John Tracy drove his father Cliff and Marg and Merv to Charleville for a couple of nights during the month also.Sue had a birthday coming up and Cliff had not been to Charleville before so the ninety plus visitor had an interesting time.Thank you John. Couldn't make it for Sue's actual birthday but she had to work at Distance Education that day anyway. Some of you may not have caught up with that information that she has been transferred to the team of teachers at Distance Education in Charleville to conduct lessons for the isolated children of far western Queensland

Steve bought some new computers for Sue and Merv from Harvey norman and paid to have them delivered to our Oakey address.On previous occasions this has worked well but this time they never turned up here so we started chasing around looking for what may have happened.Eventually the neighbour next door returned home and found a family member had put a parcel inside their house for them..except it was our parcel. The company delivering the parcel had left it at the wrong address and unfortunately they were away for the week.Anyway it all worked out in the end and this edition has been prepared on the new computer.

The annual time change in the southern states has revived the annual call for Queensland to join that group.There's a group in the south east who seem to think they'd be better off to remain at the same time as the southerners.Interesting to hear a report of a group in the south who are considering the annual change a waste of time and thinking it should be stopped.

The lack of caring for others being shown by many continues to be a great concern.Thinking many of the games children are playing are not helping in this area either but nobody seems to be doing anything about it. The explosion of technology has far outstripped the thinking and certainly any legislation to control the outcomes of the new technology.

Enough raving, but show someone you care,

Merv.