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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Blog

Published: 06 November 2026

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Otherwise, work's been slow. Tuesday, a double, a single customer all day. In the evening - a few late tables, just enough to ensure we can't close early. And Influencers, in for burger month, walking the burger around the restaurant, looking for the perfect lighting, taking pictures of it, cutting it in half, more pictures, easy half an hour until they take a bite and then it's done, they're out of here.

Wednesday, Balfour, and when I get home the police are once again in front of my building. 2 cars. This is the third time I've counted in as many days, neighbour-back-from rehab is living through a crisis.

Thursday I go for the Burger at Dominion Cafe - workmen in my flat doing the air filters, and so I leave them and forage. The burger, good, not great, all these ingredients are overshadowing the meat - which should be the "star" of any burger.

Work, a few tables over lunch (3 singles and a deuce.) The deuce I've served out in Balfour before - a $50 bill and she tips me $20. I check this isn't a mistake - nope, that's just how they like to tip. I'm too broke to argue. Then they order some dessert and her companion pays - I zip past the tipping screen and give her the machine - they've already tipped admirably and I'm not going begging for more - but -she gives me shit, she wants to give me more and is annoyed I did that and - another $20. 

Bloody hell. On a bill of $70 they tipped $40. I mean, if I could only rustle up a few more tables - a dozen or so - I could make a living doing this.

***

Tuesday was also spent watching the elections. My feeling of impending doom - crackpot conspiracy theories - all out the window with the election. Or - something else is brewing - and I have no idea what.

Whatever - the election changes little, unless the Democrats can find a spine somewhere, unless they commit to holding the entire administration accountable - little will change. So - doom scrolling the news but - well, I'm suspicious, this all seems a little too easy and convenient.

***

Marco Pierre White - the latest in my bad-tempered facebook shorts, only he's a much quieter menace. I prefer him. And part of it is probably, no doubt, that when I lived in London they (him & Ramsay) were both the big news, from people in the know. So it's like I'm "meeting" him for the first time.

***

Wednesday night head out to the Hot Springs, I haven't been for years. A friend suggests it and I ride along. Driving the night road, the cold, the rain, the view of the lake, I miss living rural. It used to be it was a big treat to come to Nelson, now - well, I live in Nelson and it's a big treat to get away. Try the burger there, a salad, the mussels, their burger the best I've tried so far. 

Then a soak, an hour, the main pool not hot enough, the cave pool too hot, there's no balance. 

***

This morning, up-and-at-em, at the library making my notes, then back to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription, that bucket of pills I'm persuaded I need to take every fucking morning just to keep me alive. I wonder - no 2 bottles run out at the same time. What's up with that? Bloody hell. Then - work, tonight could be busy, we haven't been so far as busy as we were last year, but - well, that could change. Although I've walked around town and nowhere seems to be busy - all the restaurants quiet, it's not the burger month of yore...

And that's it. 

Season Finale

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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Found

Published: 06 November 2026

Hits: 9

Wednesday, out to Balfour on the 8:45 bus to wrap up the season's quest for arrowheads.

I didn't check the return schedule and was committed until the 1:00 PM return bus; 3 1/2 hours in the cold rain. My coffee lasts only a few sips before it's cold, and I'm cold and wet pretty quick as well. Fortunately once I focus I'm on a mission and find my Zen...

All that rain, surely there must be SOMETHING!

Overall, no there wasn't. A few of the days finds:

Highlighted - in the top row - black looks like spearpoint (but - could just be a rock. Basalt doesn't give the same percussion marks as the argillite and so it's tough to be sure. Next a white quartzite point - right shape, but again, no obvious signs of workmanship. Next to that a scraper or blade. 2nd row - far left - looks like a point but it isn't. Right to the orange jasper point with the divots from pressure flaking - a point, to the right - might be a point.

Bottom - third in, a broken point (tip gone) - and far right what looks to be a broken tipped bird point. 

So - all in all, 3 1/2 hours stooped double examining rocks and maybe 3 points and a bunch of debitage.

Not the season finale I was hoping for but - not entirely fruitless. No showstoppers, just the mundane practical tools. 

Broken Hill - Burger Month - November, 2026

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Written by: Rod Boyle

Category: Other

Published: 02 November 2026

Hits: 73

So, starting off Burger Month with the offering from Broken Hill. They've won the last 2 (??) Burger months with a foie gras butter burger and I forget the other. The foie gras burger was excellent. 

This is their current offering: 

This was not excellent, nor a winner. Frankly, all the sweetness - caramelized onion, roasted apple aioli, apple cider jam, etc. made it more disgusting than good. 

I ordered the side - cubed sweet potato, more aioli, the same. Too sweet. 

This year they don't have a winner. And if they do win it's proof positive the game is fixed.

Now, probably I'll have to find a date and start splitting burgers, there's a few I actually WANT to try, that look tasty, but - this made me take Ron Swanson's side - a plain beef patty on a bun would have been infinitely better.