On the 14 November I thought I should do a selfie at Circular Quay- with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, hidden somewhat by a huge Cruise Ship- a constant presence these days.
The ship is moored at the Overseas Passenger Terminal where my father arrived some 75 years ago as a Ten Pound Pom from Guildford, Surrey, England. He was 16 years old and utterly flummoxed when he heard Australian English; it took him three months before he could understand the lingo.
I was back again the next day to see on of my doctors (I now have a health team of FIVE doctors and thanks to our National Health system almost all of my medicines and consultations are free of charge. Amazing, and one of the reasons living overseas is now out of the question.
And yes, that is a newly arrived the ship the next day.
Hyde Park, waiting for my appointment, I found myself seated opposite this Aussie icon- a bloke in short shorts and thongs… A look I avoid at all costs. Does that make me a snob? Probably.
I do try to be presentable but, frankly, in retirement my ties are rotting on the vine… and my beard trends from short to a wild bush. This would never have happened in my working days.
About the doctor visit? This was with my diabetes specialist- a rather unnervingly energetic young fellow- second visit, and while I have managed to reduce my blood sugar and my weight it was not enough to satisfy him. As a result, I am now poking myself with an Ozempic needle once a week. This should further reduce my blood sugar and my weight.
Yes, Ozempic- the medication made famous in the USA for its insane popularity for weight loss, even creating new memes: “Ozempic Ass” and “Ozempic Face”. I have no idea what that means. Please stand by, we shall see soon enough.
Did you know that I collect fountain pens? Nothing very expensive- my worst was $250 for a “refurbished” MontBlanc with “original box and papers”. It was convincing but not real. I learned my lesson- anything less than $1,000 is almost certainly a fake.
Another curious fake started without a brand and then, quite recently, Jinhao is branding their LAMY Safari homage:
12 PCS Jinhao 619 Resin Fountain Pen Set with Ink Converters.
All up: AU$27.93 or $2.33 each including freight from aliexpress.com
Don’t get excited- the listing is gone. This often happens on Ali Express. A great deal appears and then, quickly, is gone.
Was this because Jinhao had blatantly stolen the LAMY design and were facing legal problems?
Apparently not. Here they are on the same site selling for more than double the 12 Set price.
Now let me say that the Jinhao 619 writes well and feels very comfortable- though it does take a while for the nib to adapt to my hand. Meantime the original is also on sale, but not on the same site.
I have several of the LAMY Safari originals and the fact is that they write better than the copies from the get-go and hold ink in the nib for more extended periods.
So there you have it; a peculiar insight into my retired life.
Thanks for dropping by.
Have an excellent new year!
Regards,
Reno