Guantanamera

I have always loved this song.
It's presented here by a variety of Cuban musicians, all of them great.
Enjoy!

More Motorhome

I set the dashcam up on the Motorhome, and ran it for the entire journey.

If anything had happened to the $70000 Merc, I wanted evidence that I was fault free.
The first one shows the end of the journey as we returned the thing to its Braybrook depot.

The second (below) is a random piece of video captured near Tallarook, where apparently things are crook.

They weren't, at least not when we passed through.

Veterans Railroaded

From 1st July (the day before the Federal Election) concession fares for Veteran Disability Pensioners and War Widows traveling on Commonwealth railways will be terminated.

 As an old digger on the Duty First Facebook page posted -

That is a nice Election day present to those most affected by the wars and conflicts that the Coalition have sent us to.

The $644 fare from Perth to Adelaide will now cost $1,280

The $367 fare from Adelaide to Darwin will now cost $1,989

 These concessions have been available since WW2. There was  no consultation, rationale or apology.

There are many people with disabilities unable to use aircraft. I wonder whether their needs were considered?

Great Southern Rail is a big employer particularly in Adelaide, which has a high unemployment rate. No doubt there will be a drop off in travel on the two iconic trains, the Ghan and the Indian Pacific. 

I was fortunate to travel both these trains in the last decade. There were many veterans of various wars on board. I remember thinking how fitting it was that they could travel across the vast country they fought for using a well-earned concession.

This decision is short sighted, unreasonable, and a slap in the face for the veteran community.

iX35

For all you petrol heads out there, it's time for another road test.

The vehicle is an Hyundai ("an" necessary because of the aspirant "h") ix35, which has just been superseded by the weirdly named Tucson.

She That Must Be Obeyed (the fleet manager) had originally allocated me a Focus, but its transmission started hiccuping, so the ix35 was hurriedly substituted. This one was bright red, and was the two-wheel drive 2000cc version. They come in 4WD with a 2.4 litre motor as well, but this one pulled well and overtaking was a breeze. It averaged (according to the digital readout) 7.6lit/100km mostly cruising at 100kph on the flat.

I've driven plenty of Hyundais, from the Santa Fe diesel to the i30 and the i45 but this was the first time I've been on board the small SUV. It was, as befits a fleet car, the poverty pack version, called "Active". It had cloth upholstery, steel wheels, and no reversing camera or GPS.

It did, however, have a reasonable sound system together with reliable Bluetooth. Having said that the connection was reliable, I still have no idea how to set it up. I got it working, but have no idea what I did to make it talk to my phone. I never read the manuals - they just confuse me.

Apparently local Hyundais have a locally inspired suspension tuning. It certainly handled sweetly, but I found the ride a bit jittery. This seems to be an Hyundai characteristic, as it reminded me of the i45, which exhibited the same issues.

There was plenty of room, and the driving position was about right for me. The seats weren't wonderful (a bit hard), but I experienced no aches and pains after a couple of three hour stints. I do take a break every one and a half hours, however.

These things are well screwed together, but they smell like nothing I've ever encountered before. This particular example had less than 5000kms on the clock, so still smelt new, but it was not an agreeable pong. I think it was the glue used in interior trim.

If I owned one, I'd be putting a couple of saucers of kitty litter on the floor, and parking it in the sun for a while. This usually removes objectionable pongs.

So apart from the smell, it was an entirely pleasant machine. Hyundais are always good value for money, and there are some great runout deals around on this superseded model. If you're in the market for a handy and easy to drive SUV, check it out.

Ouch

My bride's car is looking sad after an encounter with a hailstorm

Almost every panel has sustained some damage. It came from nowhere, and there was nowhere to go.

The picture doesn't look too bad, but the turret, the boot lid, and the door panels are all damaged. Even the plastic trim around the number plate was smashed.

We've had a series of evil little super cells which have been popping up everywhere, and moving very quickly.

This is the way these small super cells look on radar.

The insurance companies are thoroughly geared up for this eventuality, and I was able to lodge a claim over the phone, and book an appraisal at the same time.

That's happening next Monday, so unless there's a backlog of vehicles being repaired, repairs shouldn't take too long. It will be interesting to see how much it costs. I reckon at least $2000.

Update
It was closer to $8000!
Car is therefore written off.
Actually, it's an ill wind, as we were in the process of getting quotes on a trade on a new car, and the payout was $3000 better than any dealer was prepared to give. They're doing deals and are swamped with cars at the moment, so are trading low.
Consequently, the order is in for a new car, and the dimpled Focus will be departing forever on the back of a truck tomorrow.

Art Deco in Charleville

Sometimes you discover the completely unexpected.

This week I was in Charleville, and went for a walk in the early evening. It was 35 degrees maximum, so the early evening was the best time for exercise.

I took a detour down a lane near the railway station and came across this building.

It's not a very good shot (the iPhone was all I had), but it's recognizable art deco and a bit of a gem, I reckon.

It's obviously some kind of gate house setup, and probably harks back to the days when it was a much busier place than it is now. It's on railway property and given the air conditioning, is obviously still in daily use. 

The fence and signs don't help the appearance, but if you can imagine it without the add-ons, the integrity of the building is still there.

There must be a story behind the design. I'd love to know  it.