Ask Steph

Happy new year , for anyone on my side of the date line of course ...... And for everyone else still celebrating - have a good one. And be safe . Don't drink and drive  and all that other public safety announcement stuff. Drinking excessively is a problem - Violent people get more violent. And then there are those lovely mild-mannered sweet-hearts who turn into Mr Hyde at the whiff of a vodka tonic. Not that I'm innocent of course - I have been known to partake of the fermented by-product from grapes , as well as some potato juice on occasion. And I was the quintessential student in my day - roaring it up on drinking nights , held in check only by my very short pockets, rather than any attempt to remain responsible. But I'll not bore you to death with my strong opinions on that matter - at least not today anyway. The reason I mention it is because Melbourne Metlink provided free public transport to all and sundry last night from 6pm onwards , all night long. And I c...

So - the infamous friends that went cherry picking in the rain , while I was studying for my exam, have done it again. The buggers went cherry picking yesterday and invited me to come with. All good and well, except yesterday was a work day for me - I, being a self employed working from home type, don't get 'leave' as such. Yes , I get the convenience of going out on a work day should I choose to , but the reality is - that choice boils down to if I can do it without compromising any work. And I am far too diligent to let that happen. So , Mrs Scrooge McDuck here, stayed at home and worked , while cherries got picked in some of the nicest weather I have seen since arriving in Melbourne 9 months ago. It's a crying shame. And I was very miffed about it all actually. Not to fear though - I got my pound of flesh . We bought 2 kilos of fresh picked cherries off them when they came home with their spoils . And I now have purple stained sticky fingers from painstakin...