virtual crazy gang, part II

[Engine Serang]

Just googled Rangitopuni Desert Road. It appears to be in the foothills of Mount Fuji.

[Engine Serang]

My GP emails my Script to a Pharmacy of my choice, usually for 6 months. No whinging or signs of biliousness here.

[Malcolm G]

As we have a couple of Antipodeans in our motley crew I thought that I should mention that according to the front page of SH, the newest member (krh915) is a Tassie.
Perhaps when he or she finds their sea legs they might also participate herein.

[Malcolm G]

Regarding repeat meds - I fill in a tick box on the GPs website. A member of staff signs it off and passes it via the system to the Pharmacy, Pharmacist’s computer sends me an SMS when ready.
Hardest part is walking up the road to collect it.

[YM-Mundrabilla]

Here in the Colony of Oz (in my case, anyway):

• Doctor writes prescription on his PC and gives me printed copy.
• I take hard copy to chemist.
• Chemist gives me the tablets/whatever.

Each prescription costs around $A 32.00 or $A 8.00 for Pensioners. There are annual ceilings after which the $A 32.00 odd comes down to ~$A 8.00 or free for Pensioners.

[YM-Mundrabilla]

Originally Posted by Engine Serang

Just googled Rangitopuni Desert Road. It appears to be in the foothills of Mount Fuji.

So did I, and we are both, no doubt, better educated for having done so!
Desert in NZ! I had no idea.
Mt Fuji must have been fog bound when I looked but I suspect that you are a better Engineer than Navigator.
Why were you deported from Norway?

[Engine Serang]

I abandoned Norway because I could drink 6 pints, 4 G&T's and 2 Jameson and Soda without pissing my pants and vomiting all over the footpath. Landlords thought their premises could get a bad name. And they haven't got a team in the 6 Nations (the Perpetual Cup as its known hereabouts).

[Varley]

Email is fine but my surgery seems not exactly slick in its usage - they may have given up faxing scripts to the pharmacist but, if so, only recently. the modus operandi is in the 'mail' portion of the abbreviation. I open my Email application (run email programme) much as I open my physical mail box to 'do my correspondence'. A routine or routines timed to suit me. I attend to every message as it deserves (and stress-out if the service is unavailable) and having both snail and electronic mail seems already rather extravagant, why try to employ further applications in the same capacity especially when they are not on the same target? I do not expect my postman to run after me around town hurling deliveries at me as soon as they are sorted whether they are junk, important or social?

SMS and the mobile voice calls themselves I would like only to be either alerting me to time critical issues (which hopefully would not include medical bulletins about the subscriber) or redirections from my landline (which has barring features my mobile service, as yet, omits (one being that I can bar all would-be callers hiding their CLI - as do drug dealers, pirates, money launderers, phishers and other rogues). When the annoyingly persistent fish for my mobile number I get to the point where I tell them that I keep the instrument to 'phone my tradesmen, not so that my tradesmen may call me.

Think Telegraph boy. if telegrams could have been delivered to the addressee whether at home or 'abroad' - that is my idea of the value of SMS. One would not have sent party invitations or argued the plumbers bill by telegram (and SMS cost per message Email does not. Rather supporting the analogy).

When 'in post' I engineered that the SSAS chosen fleetwide was Purplefinder with all of us with operational responsibilities alerted by Email and SMS. SMS receipt still stimulates adrenalin production - something I understand might counter the BP medication.

But I am not suggesting that this discipline suites everyhone but with the insane proliferation of computerware which can 'do communications' at least I should be allowed to choose which is perpetrated on me. (I do cheat. Lichess for one recreational medium allows 'chat' which I use).

[Varley]

I wonder if the new pills are making me grumpy. I'll see if there's a pigeon ready.

[tweediekiwi]

Hooray! I got home in one piece. 641Km between 10.30 and 19.15. It would have been faster in the GD with the foils down, but the pieces without river or lake to travel on might be a bit rough. Celebratory homecoming drinkies all round and I'll keep verucca free feet in my boots. Yay Hay and Up She Rises ... You seamen can sing the rest.

[YM-Mundrabilla]

An unintended (and irrelevant) by-product of your diversion on the way home!

I needed to check your course on the chart and noticed that it took you in the vague direction of the Chateaux Tongariro. The YMs and I spent part of our honeymoon there nearly 55 years ago. Silver cutlery, starched serviettes and tablecloths, a huge lounge with floor to ceiling windows through which one could watch sheets of rain whilst enjoying the occasional Drambuie. The ensuite bath in our room was almost the size of two x 44 gallon drums.

Those were the days!

Sadly it now seems that the place is closed in case there is an earthquake.

[tweediekiwi]

Wow, that sounds like a wonderful honeymoon spot. Congratulation on 55 years married. We've been married 44 years and neither of can find the exit clause.
The Chateau has had a bit of a chequered past hasn't it. It was for sale a few years ago, and may still be, but many of these old buildings here need to be Earthquake Strengthened to meet the building code. If you have a look here -
https://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/weak
- you'll see that we get little tremblers all the time (not knee-tremblers) which release the pressure that will ultimately build up and give us a big one. The biggest earthquake we've experienced here was the 7.9 east of Dannevirke back in about 1987. The geotech people keep saying that we'll get a big one, threatening us that Lake Taupo, being the largest caldera in the country, could go any time. Fortunately we have Ruapehu, Tongariro, Rotorua and White Island all releasing constant pressure, like a safety valve, so I hope they don't clog up or we'll get a repeat of Chch a few years ago. Hopefully it won't happen in my time.

See this page here -

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/21/s...=1737498632920
- does this mean we have to get the compass on the GD updated? How does that affect GPS? I know that in the past Earth has swapped the poles by rolling over but I don't want to be here when that happens either.
Personally, it won't worry me as I wear a magnetic chocolate-flavoured all-weather jock-strap that keeps me pointing North anyway, wherever north happens to be.
Oooops. This one is a bit long. ES will be complaining again ...

[tweediekiwi]

My apologies for mislaying your NZ knowledge by using the wrong name. It is the Rangipo desert and is famous for being where we keep the Army Training Ground and a high-security prison.
But, keep Rangitopuni River in mind - that's the sourse of the Auckland Harbour - Waitemata as the Maori say - and it rises at a place called Riverhead to the west of Auckland. I know, it's an uninspiring name isn't it.

[YM-Mundrabilla]

We, here in the West Island, are doing our bit to fill your high-security prison with deportees.

[tweediekiwi]

Yes, but some of the people that you send to us were born in Oz and they end up here with no family ties, so they join gangs. It's a funny equation, but, we send you qualified tradesmen and professionals (particularly medicos) and you send us bad lads that learnt to be bad there. Odd isn't it. If I had the money I might move over there, but I don't like heat, spiders or crocs, so I'd probably end up in Tassie. I have a mate in Brisbane who said they had 40C the other day. I'd just melt.

[YM-Mundrabilla]

The old story of the greener grass and the fence/ditch.
I always fancied the relative isolation of the West Coast of the South Island myself amidst the mist and the rain (until the novelty wore off that is).
On the other hand, I also fancy the Desert and the Arctic so I will stay where I am .................. somewhere between Mundrabilla and Narvik

[Varley]

Eh? So it's some form of foot fetish. No shame in that but if you don't like crocs why not wear sandals?

(I have checked the pigeon loft several times. Still no reply from the surgery).

[tweediekiwi]

Actually, letting the cat out of the bag here, I can't stand wearing jandals as that rubber thing between my toes drives me mad. Wrong Crocs Varley! I have proper leather sandals but rarely wear them. Are we in Suez yet? The air smells of camel dung and arab foot rot.

[Engine Serang]

Jandals or Crocks? Jesus give my head peace.
Lets compare and contrast something useful and fulfilling like Boxers or Y Fronts?

[Varley]

I changed over to delta a long time ago.

Are jandals the same as flip-flops? If related to underwear am not surprised the rubber thing is uncomfortable. Perhaps you can get them made with silk thongs. That seems to be quite comfortable and when engaged in pyroflatulence leaves no ash (or smell, unlike a rubber one).

I cannot raise Cairo on the W/T deck wallahs'll have to hoist the 'Q' flag before entering the outer anchorage.

[tweediekiwi]

No boxers. Can't stand fighting down below. I'll wear anything that stops my willie falling out.
Pyroflatulence! Ha ha! I had pyrodontia once - my teeth were on fire! Damned chillies.
I'll just run up all the bunting and we'll see of we get a response from shoreside - I just hope it's not making them angry as I hate cross-fire.

[Engine Serang]

" I'll wear anything that stops my willie falling out.".
Falling from where to where?

[tweediekiwi]

Well, use your imagination! From underwear to underunderwear. Now YM is going to tell us that's an aborigine word for somewhere in the big red country.
Any response to our bunting display?

[YM-Mundrabilla]

Yes! It's Aboriginal for Canberra. A renowned playground for willies of all sexes, genders, orientations, identifications, races, religions and political affiliations.
Doubt that you will get a response to your bunting - looks more like ES's washing to me.

[Varley]

It can't be errant skiddies. Either mine or E-S's. After Eaowyn they'd be off St.Petersburg by now (one tree down, fortunately fell in and not onto Peel Road, and coal hole blocked by some substantial but smaller debris. Plenty of kindling although today much dampened. Garage cat fled before the blast but empty biscuit bowl suggests he's back).