Mayor4Unley

What fantastic news. Research has shown that a small amount of dark chocolate (just 50g) puts you in a better mood and increases brain power and memory. The chocolate used was 70% cacao and 30% organic sugar cane, a product marketed as a health food. Just 30 minutes later, brain scans showed an increase of gamma waves in areas indicating: Improved neural connectivity, Reduced stress, Improved mood, and Boost of memory. So if you want to get in the mood and have less stress and more memory, then eat very dark chocolate.

Fringe festival event The Love Shack is being held at the Showgrounds at Wayville. Lots of activity and entertainment. The highlight is looking for love ❤️ via speed dating on the Ferris Wheel 🎡 A novel idea. The Ferris Wheel has always been popular with couples; the spin just injects romance. On the down side: if the dating chemistry doesn't bond, it will be awkward waiting together for many long minutes before you can get off. Read the story ... #Unley #Wayville #Love #GoodyRoad

Preacher Billy Graham has died, aged 99. He was the best of the bunch of US evangelist preachers. When he visited Australia, 130,076 crammed into the MCG to hear him. In Adelaide he also drew a huge crowd. Before he died, his son asked what Billy wanted on his headstone. The reply was, just say 'Preacher'. A quote from Billy Graham “ when wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost ”. Just so true.

Poor old Barnaby Joyce ... actually I have no sympathy for him. Obviously he was due for a mid-life crisis, and he should have taken the 'buy a Harley motorbike' option rather than 'crack on to a younger woman'. But, crack on he did and it looks like his future won't be that bright; unless he will get immense pleasure from changing nappies. My forecast is this: The Nationals will soon dump him as party leader. He will then no longer be Deputy PM. He will be stripped of being a minister. He will be on the nose and won't contest the next election. He will regret giving up his Kiwi nationality; that's the one place he could have put himself out to pasture and no one would have known who he was. All very sad; especially for Barnaby's family. If only he had bought that Harley! None of the above reflects my political views. Just a reflection of the current mess in Canberra. #auspol #Barnaby #Joyce #Unley

Many homes in #Unley don't have a bird bath in their garden. As birds and small animals lose more and more of their habitat (through housing development) the more they rely on us to provide food, water and shelter in our gardens. So if you don't have a bird bath, then get one. Also consider a shallow water dish on the ground for the lizards and other natives that crawl abound. And don't forget a hollow log or two. It gives great joy to see birds in the bird bath; having a drink or a slash on a hot day. And of course the bees 🐝 need water; daily. Your garden will be transformed with more native birds 🤗

Greek food has had a huge impact on Aussie eating. My favourites are charcoal grilled octopus and lukoumades. Lukoumades (or honey puffs as I know them) are made in heaven; Greek heaven. They are commonly described as Greek donuts and are smothered in honey and walnuts; and they must be served hot. Between you and me, the abundance of lukoumades is the prime reason for me attending the annual Greek festival in Oxford Terrace, Unley. I was delighted to find a sign in a shop on King William Road that proclaimed that the restaurant Lukoumades would be opening soon. It should be hugely popular with entrees, mains and desserts of Greek honey puffs. Yum :)))

There's been a lot of comment and debate about the impending postal vote for same sex marriage. I won't go into that. However, an interesting comment I heard from a commentator was that they may need to provide explicit details on how to return the vote ie. How to post the vote back. Many of today's youth have never posted a letter in their life. So they will need to be told to: Mark the voting paper and place in the envelope Lick the back of the envelope and seal it Take the letter to a Post Office or find a red box on the street and insert in the box (before 6pm) Actually, the best way to get the message across is via a video demonstrating how to post a letter on YouTube.

He visits every day. A lone Willy-Wag-Tail. He sits down by the compost bin, watching and then darting about and snapping up flying insects. He is busy all day and must be having a feast from catching all those bugs. He's oblivious to me watching. Sometimes there is a lone New Holland Honeyeater, and I've seen a bit of a stand-off between the two with the Willy-Wag-Tail winning the patch. Actually, there often used to be a large group of New Holland Honeyeaters. They too are masters at snapping flying insects. Maybe they will return when the Willy-Wag-Tail migrates for winter. I'm not that good at determining the sex of a bird; but how do I know that the Willy-Wag-Tail is a male? My rationale is that if it were a female then she would surely be quickly courted by a boy bird and I would have two Willy-Wag-Tails in the backyard. Hopefully this lonely boy finds his gal soon.

Dating and meeting people for love is not what it used to be. The Tinder dating app is the common way to hook up these days. Actually, it's not a dating app; rather, it's a sex app; just a hook-up for a brief sexual encounter. It's rare that Tinder encounters progress to companionship and love. In the early days of Tinder, you simply ticked male or female; nothing more. Now, Tinder offers many choices to express your preference. In fact, there are a staggering 37 gender options. They say that it enables a fuller inclusion. Just watch out that you don't tick the wrong box 😍😍😍 More about this from a media report ... THE world is a much more complicated place than it used to be — and notorious dating app Tinder has made a major overhaul to its platform to reflect that growing complexity. The online matchmaking app has launched a new update that gives users the ability to choose between 37 different genders. Previously, users could only pick between male an...

Last night I went to see the Adelaide Fringe show Showtime @ Gluttony, East End of Adelaide. Absolutely fantastic. I rate it 9.5/10. It was a mix of circus, magic and music. All great acts. The magician was just, magical. And then there was the lovely (stunning) French chanteuse Rose who wowed us with her big and sexy voice. I was privileged to be invited onto the stage to accompany her on a drum. Took me back to my boyhood drumming days. The task I was given was simple - just beat the drum in tune with her gyrating 'ips'. I think I did ok. Just had to concentrate on those 'ips'.

I have a new friend; actually two new friends. A couple of young Murray Magpies (aka. a Pee Wee or more formally as a Piping Shrike) have come to the garden and do regular patrols; hunting for spiders, moths or grubs and insects on the lawn. I started feeding them small bits of meat; pieces of chop or left-over sausage. That was a big hit and they have adopted me. This morning one flew at me in excitement to get some food. The dogs are not happy with this new friendship; so I will have to build a feeding platform head-high above the ground. As a matter of interest, there is confusion about which bird is displayed on the South Australia flag. Is it an Australian Magpie or the smaller Murray Magpie? More information from Wikipedia ... "The piping shrike is the emblematic bird that appears on South Australia's flag, State Badge and Coat of a Arms. The bird appears "displayed proper" with its wings outstretched and curved upwards. Although the image of the piping...

A work colleague told me that she and her partner were taking a cruise (on a ship) along the east coast and will be visiting Cairns and Port Douglas. I told her I would send an email with suggestions of places to visit. The reality is that ship to shore visits are a waste of time. You don’t get to see and experience the real thing in the town. Not like when you live there for a decent period. On a ship visit, you just get to do a few mainies (ie. a walk down the main street), have a coffee, maybe a meal and buy a souvenir. Anyway, in case you are passing by or decide to take the Love Boat, then the following email may be of interest. Here’s my email to her. Hi Jessica Here are some tips on what to see and do in Cairns and Port Douglas. In Cairns: Visit St. Monica’s Catholic Cathedral, 181 Abbott Street (15 minutes walk from CBD); rather ordinary from the outside, but inside - you must see the 24 huge lead-light windows that depict creation (or evolution) with an ...

Australians lose $45 million to scams in 2015 !!! It is amazing that this year (and so far only over 6 months) Australians have been conned and scammed to the tune of $45 million. That’ll probably grow to $90 million over 12 months. How can people be so stupid? Easily, if they believe in getting a huge reward for nothing. Beware of that person in Nigeria who needs help to transfer funds and if you’re into Internet dating and your new love gets into financial difficulty, then send nothing except an introduction to the scammer in Nigeria. According to The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) … ‘Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal details. Scams succeed because they look like the real thing and catch you off guard when you’re not expecting it. Our new Scamwatch website , which is being launched today, has all the latest news and tips to help you identify and avoid scams. By following the advice ...

I’ve been reading an interesting article on Australian architect Peter Stutchbury. A fascinating read on a remarkable man. Talking about architecture and inspiration, here’s a quote from him … “I’d say real beauty is found with the least number of ingredients and the most amount of thinking.” A profound and yet so simple a statement.

I have a family of spotted doves living in and near my back yard. Actually it's a rather extended family. The number of visitors seems to be increasing. I would prefer to have the Australian native top knot pigeon visit, but it's spotted doves. They get fed with mixed seeds each morning and if they're lucky again at dusk. A couple are quite tame and walk up to me, totally unafraid. They sometimes come near me to escape when others are aggressively chasing them. Two years ago I climbed a ladder to peer inside a nest. There were two feathered chicks peering at me and I'm convinced that my face formed a bonding image; just like a duckling adores the chicken hen that hatched it. Since then, these two birds see me as a friend and are totally unafraid. It's nice to be loved.