The last day of the year and hopefully next year will bring better times for all. Watched the fire works but if you are not there I guess it is all getting a bit passe. Cost $5 million which I guess could be spent in better ways. Having fun buying more shares in the last few days. I wish I had more money to spend! Love this form of gambling although the results take a little longer than the pokies. The pokies are a disaster to many people and cause me some grief as I could get hooked. It is not so much hoping to win it is a sort of game to see what happens. I try to play them on the computer with a game I have. Quite fun.
The year has ended with a reduced rainfall of about 7 inches. It is a disaster for us and with the river problems the de-salination plant will be absolutely essential in the present circumstances. That has issues too with the problem of the saline waste to deal with. Still, if we can reduce the strain on the Murray I guess that is a plus.

Hope that everyone had a happy Christmas Day. Quiet day - Barry called in and we had a bottle of Shrax with some nibbles. He has a new Diesel powered car. Cost $48,000. Must be doing OK! I also spent some time listening to music and watching the Nutcracker Ballet and alsu Mass from Rome.In the evenbing spent time with the Wicks family. a lovely family with really nice children. A pleasant evening. Pleasant day in all ways. Off from work until 6th january.
Bit of problem from my faeces test. A sign of blood in one of the results. Now have to have a Colonoscopy to check for problems. Doctor feels it is probably OK and gives a 10% chance of any problem. Still I hope that if there is a problem it has been caught early.
Having a bit of fun with the stock market although some of my purchases are not making me rich. Not sure what to do with a couple. Adding more stock at a lower price reduces the overall cost per unit but is always a risk. At this time am down but with recent additions have lowered unit costs. A couple more could be useful.

I am back again! Still finding it difficult to get motivated about anything. Lots to do but still I procrastinate. What has happened? This week was busy with the Old Scolars Christmas Dinner and also a get together for Christmas at the art gallery where I was able to see the heysen Exhibition. An extraordinary painter who had a mastery of the medium. His ability to show the effect of light on canvas was extraordinary. Luminous colours and often great detail. Going to see the Metropolitan Operas version of the Damnation of Faust in a realisation for the stage today. I love the music of Berlioz so should be interesting. Next week is Carols at the Marryatville High and then the following week thre Adelaide Harmony Choir concert. Busy time.
Emma is stil a big problem and taking much of my resources which meant I had to extend my loan. By the time it is all over it will have cost me well over $20,000! Something I did not ask for and because I am the sort of person I am I was backed into a corner by her and had little choice if I wanted to get my own unit back in one piece. In the 3 weeks they were here they pulled things apart and I am still not sure what is missing. She and her family are monsters and I can understand why she is not wanted by anyone. The children could be better if they had been brought up to respect other peoples property. I know that her mother still holds out hope and as a caring person tries to do the best she can and gets used all the time.
That is my whinge for the day and while it is unkind to tell the whole world her behaviour gets up my nose and I am a bit past caring.

On Friday I bought a mantle clock which cost $125. A luxury but I missed the chimes of my old clock since the spring broke. Nice to hear them again. It is a German Mauthe mantle clock and is either pre WWII or a 1950's clock.The movement # is 630868 but I have not been able to put it into a time frame. A picture is posted in this entry.

Very exciting possibility has come up with contact from a Niemz family in Gebelzig, Germany with the possibility of a connection with my great grandfather Johann Niemz. The correspondent is going to do some research and perhaps we shall find out more about his forebears. I look forward to finding out more about the Niemz's!
Things are going OK although Emma is still a big problem. Yesterday we had the Christmas Pageant which is always colourful. Not long to the end of the year now. I guess I will be having a couple of weeks off from work.
Hope to have the unit tizzied up in a little while as I have raised funds to do this work. Will give me some options regarding the future in the sense of sale or rental.

Feeling a bit depressed in some ways and not really motivated to do things
Have a lovely rose in the rear garden Apparently it is called brandy and not all that easy to grow. See the picture on left

It is gaes since I added to the diary so I am going to try and summarise the last months.
Emma remains a problem but I am trying to cope. Things are getting very tight and reducing spending is the only way to get through this dilemma. (mine not hers!)
What a time in the financial world. Having bought a few share I have seen them drop. Tried to buy selected extra shares to reduce overall cost base. Managed a small profit on one lot which I had to sell to get ready cash. Then in the last few weeks the world went mad! A lot of the shares have dropped but with reasonable limits. Provided I can hold on I think they will come back. The whole thing is about liquidity in the banks due in many cases to defaults by morgagees in the USA. They can leave a property and give it back to the lender without any further obligation. They do not even have to make up the loss which may arise from the forced sale. All this due to poor credit control and the desire to lend to all and sundry. After all the honeymoon periods and low introductory interest rate the chooks come home to roost. After all the major players who were heavily hit by the losses then remaining 'good' banks have got scared off and will not lend after having been burnt through lending to the risky lenders. I can see it working its way through the system and most observers say it is all about confidence. Aussie banks are OK although they have less access to money from overseas now so have some problems. I cannot see this being an issue in the long term as they are also getting a steady input of funds through the superannuation guarantee collections from employers to super funds which, I guess are keeping more money in cash at the moment.
Work is going OK and I am becoming more forcefull in discussions with THE BOSS and getting my view accross. Resolved some issues last week and have set up a better footing with him.
Darelle and I went to a lunchtime concert last friday which was great and enjoyable. Mainly 16th century music which has a sort of sadness or melencholy aboutit. Perhaps a reflection of the period when half of europe was in turmoil through the 30 years war and the shakeout of the tensions from the reformation. Martin Luther would have been very sad as all he wanted to do was reform his church not set up a new one! Followed this with coffee and cake.
Salem the cat is his usual demanding self. Sitting on the desk a few minutes ago causing chaos with the computer mouse and my attempts at doing the web page!
The weather is warming up and tomorrow will be 33c. I have been trying to get my 3 square metres of rear garden blooming. Pouring masses of seed into the plot and hoping for the best. Probably cost me quite a bit in seed but if I can get a good germination of what is there I hope it will seed and carry on into the future.

Not so late this time but still suffering trauma! Emma is a real problem - not paying the rent and leaving me with the tab. I know how family murders can happen now!
I have new glasses now but my eyes still water and I am not sure how they will pan out. Since I have macular degeneration there is uncertainty about how that is affecting vision (although it is stable at the moment). Makes reading difficult and I have read very little in the paste few years because of the effort. Going up to Nuriootpa today to decide what to do with the $7,000 over from last years family re-union. Since the families were devout Lutherans I think to be put aside to assist students training for the ministry would be appropriate. have to leave soon to get there by 9.30am.
It is raining at the moment but not much to help with water inflows etc. I will finish this when I get back later today!

Not so late this time but my world is still in turmoil. Emma is a fulltime problem as I try to get her established and hope that she can pay her way. It is not sorted as yet either.
The weather is cold and we have had some rain. Very helpful for the state but the river remains a mess. Only a flood (not too big) will do anything to give the river a boost and save us all. What else has happened? Work is still full on and not too stressful, finances are stretched, Salem the cat is still my little mate sleeping on the bed and keeping me company.
Toni Niemz wife of mum's cousin died a week or so ago at the age of 101. Not many left now from her generation. Still a few Roehr cousins around but their ranks are thinning too.
Tonight the finals of the Sydney Piano Competition finished and the results were announced. Konstantin Shamray of Russia won. I did not hear all of the pianists and could not really gauge an impression to pick a winner. I liked some of the earlier ones who did not make it too the final six. There was some good music making anyhow.

Two months since my last entries. What a traumatic time. Emma came over much to my objections and I had to put her up with her 5 children. My flat was overun and after they left I had to get it back to my sense of order. I stayed with a friend for the period and by mid June Emma had found a house which actually was well suited to a large family. Now we have to deal with the problem of her and Nick her partner meeting the rental payments. I have been somewhat silly with money and have no spare resources so things are going to be difficult for a while. I will have to just hold in there. I put up the bond and 2 weeks rent to get her started. Oh for a lottery win. The kids are quite nice really but poorly disciplined so they run riot and have no regard for others property, touching things they should have been taught to leave alone. Salem spent 3 weeks boarding but I did visit him every couple of days. During the boarding time he helped out a little sick kitten by supplying blood for a transfusion. He was not the happiest of cats and let me know.
The guy I was staying with has a mental problem and while he spent some time with me over the last year he has gone back to his own place but I have to spend a bit of time with him, especially at night so am living in two places. I have a carers allowance paid to me to keep an eye on his wellbeing and making sure he eats, has clean clothes and takes his medication.
I have a busy life with work, caring and trying to do things related to family history etc. Busy also with the Marryatville High old scholars assocation which, I fear is heading for some administrative problems as some difference amongst the committee appear to have arisen. Hopefully it wil sort itself out.
Darrelle and I have attended a seminar about the Ballet Russe in Australia during the late 30's and early 40's which was interesting and we also attended a ballet performance showing some of the choreography used by them. We both enjoyed the seminar and performance. Had a vist to the art gallery to view some indigenous art, Ballet Russe exhibition and also some of the items from the late 18th and early 19th century furnishings from the French Empire period. Very opulant but presented in such a light that its colour was diminished. The problem with the items designed for grand houses is that they need large spaces and the glitter of chandeliers to set them off! We are going to Monarto open range zoo for a visit and walk in August.
We have some respite from the lack of rain with a good 50mm falling in the last few weeks. Good falls on many farms too. Still a long way to go and no real rain in the areas needed to fill up the Murray and its tributories. Hope my next entry will be sooner rather than later.

It is almost a month since my last entry! What has happened - not much. We have had a couple of lots of rain and this weekend quite a good fall. The gardens are looking good. The hills have had good falls and there have been reasonable rain in the country. As far as the River Murray is concerned it is the rain in the east which will count. Our lower Murray lakes and the Coorong is in a dire way.
I have had a bad head cold for about 10 days now and this makes me irritable and cranky.
Work is OK and we have passed the 15th May deadline and things look reasonable.
I have been trying to get my costs down personally and when I think I am succeeding something comes up. Salem cost me $178 for his injections and there is follow up work which will cost. I had bad toothache and so far dental reatment has cost $226 and I still have to have a tooth removed. It is cheaper to be dead!
What else has happened? The federal budget has come down and not terribly exciting. As to whether it is good or bad I do not know.
My niece in Sydney is considering coming to Adelaide as there is an accommodation crisis for her. Goodness only knows what will happen.

Very late again! No rain in sight althogh perhaps a little on Anzac Day. De-salination is the next step but still a few years away. Problems with disposing of the salt makes that a difficult exercise too.
Had a good re-union weekend at the Marryatville High. About 200 turned up for a BBQ and get together. Took quite a bit of cash but will not know final surplus for a week or so when the cost are paid. Have a contact for Len Russell who is now a pastor. I think the family were Baptists. He lives in Canberra now.
Life goes on and i still go to work although sometimes I would rather not. When the days are busy and I am doing book keeping that is OK. Tax returns are OK too but when problems arise that is a pain as we have to chase up the clients. Still hoping for the big lotto win. Had a few little ones lately but nothing to retire on.
Now I have toothache and the old filling and a new cavity have to be attended too. More costs. I hope to get a payment from Centrelink for help I give to a friend who has a mental condition. It looks promising as I make sure he eats, attends appointments and takes his medication as well as general wellbeing. It does not take a lot of effort but dealing with his funds is a problem with a smoking habit taking much of his spare cash.

Late again! Any hopes of significant rain to ease our pain seems to have flown away. Some wild and windy weather, some rain but only 20mm. The real rain must come in the other states if our Murray River will ever recover. God knows what is going to happen.
The past couple of weeks have continued to be busy. Lots to do at work and plenty on my plate at home and with other commitments.
Went to the Marryatville High School today to help with the garden open day at the old Scarfe mansions. My job to wash dishes. Unfortunately they did not have as many visitors as last year so I did not have a great deal to do. Still it was a lovely day. We have our re-union in two weeks so hope we have a better role up!
Trying to archive the old school photos on the computer for burning to a disk and having a bit of trouble trying to work out how to file them all.

I have left it a long time since the last entry but not a great deal has happened. The Fringe and the festival are all over. We had a 15 day heat wave which whacked everybody but finally it is a bit cooler. There is even rain predicted but not much. If we have another drought year we will be drinking bottled water and washing using a bucket and not a shower. I guess if it rains in the east the river might get flowing again but who knows.
During the festival the buildings on North Terrace had a series of slides projected on them which highlighted the architectural details as well as highlighting what they are used for. A spider web on the Museum and books on the libray walls. I saw some but missed the real effect as I did not walk along North Terrace. I think theu should do this at every festival as there were thousands walking and looking at the effect. Perhaps they can include the old School of Mines Building too as this was being renovated and have scaffolding all over it. It was the only significant building not used in the North Terrace precinct. I thought the old Geographic Institute building on the Kintore Avenue Corner looked particularly efective as it had strong neo-classic lines and the projection really highlighted the mouldings and the outline of the building well and the colours were great.
Received an e-mail from a german genealogist who actually lived in Gebelzig (Ggreatfather Johann Niemz came from there) and he lived next door to a Niemz family. Incredible co-incidence. If only I had the money to go to Europe. I have lots to do if I could get there!

A two week gap since the last entry. It has become hot again and temps over the next few days will be in the high 30's. Monday is a holiday for a horse race! Easter is two weeks away and nother holiday weekend.
Attended Mes Watson's funeral and Robert Manser came too. The funeral was a peculiar affair. The priest seemed to stumble over a lot of things. The service did not include hymns and the only music was from a person playing the organ the Mrs Watson used to enjoy listening to. It was all a bit surreal. No flowers by request. WE helped to guide the casket out and lift into the hearse which took it away with very little ceremony apart from holy water on the coffin.Nice to catch up with Robert. Still working as a guard on the trains but is counting down to retirement in 13 months. Meanwhile I still keep going as I cannot afford retirment. Anyhow I would end up doing very l;ittle although I have to get my final family history together. This will take sometime as there is a lot to do but I guess I will get there provided my time is not shortened in some way - like death!
The world is a funny place. Have you noticed the pairs of sneakers hanging over power lines from time to time? I was watching the news and someone was talking outside the Old Bailey in London and guess what was hanging over the arm of a street light - yes a pair of sneakers!
Still feeding the ducks and swans in the evenings with a friend - we both need to get outside and walk. Not a great deal of walking along the banks of the Torrens but better than nothing. On friday night there was a lot of activity with WOMAD Adelaide and the festival events. A group of teenagers were near the university footbridge and suddenly we hear crashing bottles and the sound of metal rubbish bin holders being upended. Next thing they are rolled down to the waters edge and tossed in. Mindless vandalism which cost us all. Unfortunately I did not have the mobile with me otherwise I could of called the police. The trouble is that they get nicked and perhaps in time become just another lot of society's outcasts.
Work is frantic at present and I am getting behind. Hope to get ahead this week. I am going to set up a page on the website to try and get some book-keeping work. Something I can do at home using the MYOB programme. I must also work out an add for the local paper.

Sad news to report - Mrs Watson, the mother of a dear friend Darelle Watson has passed away aged in her mid 90's. Muriel was a lovely lady and was smart too. She was a good violinist I am told when young and she also had a good head for figures. She read a lot and had a good mind. Loved board games and we had many happy hours playing them for nearly 40 years. Her last few months were spent in a nursing home and were not always happy as her health deteriorated. We shall all miss her. Just another sign that we are not immortal and that we are all moving towards that final time whether it be a long or short.
This weekend is the Clipsal 500 and the town is all abuzz with lots of activity as the Fringe Festival has also begun. These days my excursions into the world of art and theatre and of course it costs too. Guess I shall just go and feed the ducks and soak up the atmosphere on Rundle Street East! Next week is the next opera in the Met season and I am contemplating as to going or not. It is a sad opera and has fairly long scenes in which the music is more contemplative than exciting. I guess I should go just so that I can get the full experience. The next one is Peter Grimes and then Tristan and Isolde which lasts 5 hours. I am determined to see it so that I can get the full flavour of Wagner opera!
Aunt Naancy in Sydney is setting off on a cruise this weekendand is feeling her age well and truly now. Her minor operation last year has a problem with a leak aroung the insetion in a blood vessel to keep it open and improve blood flow. Nothing to be doen and let us hope it is OK. Aunt Gladys in Darwin is still going along OK and is now in her 92nd year. Just the 2 aunts and an uncle left now and I guess in the next few years there will be none and that generation will have left us. (On mother's side they have all now gone) As I said before my generation will then take over and be the ones playing out the story until we also are gone. So the story of life goes on.
The weather is lovely and cool at the moment even though there were a couple of hot days in the past week. Autumn is probably really beginning although one never knows! The only problem that still remains in the areas affected like us - where is the rain to help our poor River Murray!

Another week has passed and it is now well into February. The year is going to go like the clappers and I have lots to do and must do before my end comes. I am not morbid just realistic. Having fun with stocks but it is a knife edge situation as I am borrowing all the money and one slip up could be disasterous cash wise. Next week will see if one of my punts work out. I am going to buy one more stock and that will be the finish for some time.

I am beginning to wonder if I am getting senile! Yesterday I stupidly cut my RH index finger on the top of the finger in front of the second joint and had to have 5 stitches. Imagine me trying to keep the finger straight to stop more bleeding with it wrapped in tissues and driving the 2 – 3 kilometres to the doctor’s surgery. Just as well I had an automatic car. They put me in a room where I had to wait for about 15 minutes until the doctor had finished with a patient (Only one doctor on duty on a Saturday) He did a good job of sewing!
Having fun with my stocks and not actually losing much. Depends on how things go with one as it was really speculative. The others are normal types of investment.
Sandy mauger sent me an e-mail today with sad news of Peppy the poodle. They found a cancerous growth inhis mouth. Surgery was undertaken and it was removed but they will try and take more tissue next week to get it all and do other tests. Sad times when pets get ill although I think Peppy has had a fair number of dogs years so far. Sandy also told me of a friend who is reading my diary pages. Only got to 2005 so sent latest page address. Also altered my pages to allow linking forward to the next year as well as to past year pages.
Brian sent an e-mail and photo from Banff/Lake Louise in Canada. World traveller now as long as body and soul (and money) holds out!
If you are wondering about the tomatoes - I can tell you they did not work out as the pots were too small and the plants became pot bound. A lesson for next year. So far the Passionfruit is OK (large pot) and the strawberries look nice and green although the strawberries are tiddly. The plants look good and that make the courtyard look less bare.
My rollover went in to BT Super but they called it Employer contribution. I guess it does not really matter. I called and their record showed that it was not this but the online info is different. Can any body get anything right. Similarly I have had an extra amount in my Centrelink payment which I think is probably wrong. I am getting too tired to chase all this crap up!

January 26th, 2008

I am really really late with my dairy at the moment. What has happened - not a lot! The weather is still a conundrum as we are not sure which way it will go. Traditionally summer is hot with little rain. However this year the tropics are copping it with rain across the top and down the east coast. Flooding all through Queensland and some of this may get into the Murray River system. Floods on the east coast go out to seas and not into the inland areas.
My stuffed up nose and head seems to have cleared quite a bit. Decided to gargle with brandy to try and get my mouth sorted out (may have been a touch of thrush) anyhow it weems to have worked. I guess alcohol will kill most things! Have decided to have a little flutter with the stock market since a lot of prices went down. Not sure how it will go but lets hope. I have no money but what the heck! The banks have been good to me and I guess over the years they have got many tens of thousand dollars in interest from me and I have always paid up!
Saw a performance from the Met of Verdi's Macbeth. I had seen a production about 40 years ago in Adelaide. The Met production was set in the 20th century but seemed to work. The singing was excellent. Most enjoyable.
Writing a paper on the paperless office for where I work. Trying to establish if it is worthwhile. basically decided it is not cost effective based on the size of the business and the records to be kept.

January 13th, 2008

Back at work and basically OK. Still trying to get over the sinusitis. Tried a nasal spray, sucked lozenges and taking panadeine. I guess it is slowly getting better.
Heard from Darelle, her mum is sleeping a lot and just waking to take some food and drink. Perhaps she is getting to that final time. Let us hope that this is what she is looking for.
Yesterday went to the second opera in the Met season of HD films of live performances. A performance of Hansel & Gretal. Good performance great singing and imaginative production. This time 89 stage hands to do the work! Mind boggling production as usual. Next one is Macbeth. Saw this years ago in Adelaide.
Trying to keep my spending down and going OK at the moment. Have moved my super investment to BT through Westpac but my rollover has not gone through yet. I am determined to keep working and will do so as long as my mind and health allow. Have to get myself motivated though to catch up with some of my outstanding projects. Perhaps if the weather gets better and it is not so hot I can get down to it.

January 6th, 2008

The power of the web! I have been able to find missing relations and received family information and enquiries from all over the worl but today was an interesting contact. A Professor from Murchinson University contacted me becaue of an entry I made in 2006 on my diary page. He was looking for Nancy Sayer and found that I saw an exhibition of her work at a gallery. I checked it out and remembered that it was at a local gallery and gave him the info he wanted. He had "googled" my site.
Back at work tomorrow after a less than fruitful break. The heat really knocked me and I did very little as well as getting really bad sinusitis. Gave me headaches and made me feel bad. My sugar levels are completely out of kilter. Varying between 6 and 15. Even in the morning I am around 10. Apparently hot weather has an effect. Hope it settles down soon now that I am taking two tablets of Diabex.

January 1st, 2008

The first entry for the year and the past week has been horrendous with temps well over 35c as well as the stress of the fire on Sunday night. The last few daays have been in the 40's. By the way HAPPY NEW YEAR
After the fire at number 33 the occupants are busy sorting out the rooms that were not burnt but probably damaged by water and the debris that feel from the ceiling. I did not see any sign of smoke or burning in the front rooms and the curtains were still in situ and appeared undamaged. I guess there will be smoke and water damage. A most incredible sight was the iron roof becoming red hot and glowing as the flames went through the ceiling area. I am at a loss to explain the burning in what would be an open space above the ceilings in the older section. I can only suggest insulation burning. Possibly there was seaweed used as insulation - a common practice in the 19th century. Grandpa Roehr's cottage in North Adelaide had seaweed insulation.
Went to the doctor yesterday to get the results of the blood test last Friday. Worrying sign of my sugar levels rising although he was fairly calm about it. Keeping an eye on my weight and has increased the dosage of Diabex to 2 a day. Hope this works. Bought a new blood glucose monitor for a mere $32. I think it was incorrectly priced because they are over $80 at my regular chemist. I did ask them about it being so cheap so I guess finders keepers - losers weepers. (a price tag is an invitation to make and offer and if they accept my offer to buy at that price it is their loss if a mistake was originally made in the pricing! I think that is the law.)

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