Melbourne To Sizzle While "The Coast" Is Blown Away

Our time in Melbourne visiting family and friends is almost over. Saturday evening was spent quietly after a hot day. A cool change dropped the temp to the high 20's late in the afternoon. On Sunday I went to a computer "Swap Meet" and was blown away by the range of things available as well as the cheap prices they were charging. There was heaps of interesting stuff there. The afternoon was spent either baby sitting (giving Kate and Arj a chance to do things without the kids being there) and doing some last minute purchasing (photos etc).

From there it was to Malaysia Garden for tea. Boneless Chicken Curry with Coconut rice was exquisite, the Char Koay Teow was pretty good too. Arj ordered some "Ikan Bilis" which was rich with flavour and we finished with some sensational Lobak. All was great and enjoyed by all. Charli just loves her curry and rice!

Today Melbourne has a forecast top temp of 42 degrees! For our West Texas reader that is almost 108 degrees!

This afternoon we head across to Chris' place to spend the night before flying out for the Sunshine Coast first thing tomorrow. Unfortunately Chris doesn't have any inbuilt cooling and the temp is expected remain above 30 degrees overnight. We might be a bit stroppy from lack of sleep when we get home!

Meanwhile at home the weather remains pretty windy with beaches being closed and strong winds being the order of the day. These two photos lifted from the Sunshine Coast newspaper give a bit of an idea how wild it is there. I have been pleased to read that the storm centre is now moving slowly away from the coast.

Remember to use the live webcam links on the right to get the latest views from King's beach.

It is also good to hear that winds are expected to slowly abate. Foolish swimmers continue to enter the surf with lifesavers carrying out numerous rescues. People choose to enter the water despite many beaches being "closed" for swimming. This surfer though appears to be having a wonderful time!

Hopefully it won't be too windy when we land there tomorrow at about 9:30 am.

Too Hot For The MCG

Friday was spent quietly in front of the TV watching the cricket. Then it was out to "The Palms" one of our very favorite Asian eateries to try all our favorites. Needless to say the grandkids loved it, Charli got to eat her Curry and Rice again and also to have a play ride on the "Trishaw".

Then it was home to watch the movie "Fracture", one of the ones I had downloaded from the internet. However before the movie it was time for Charli and James to have a quick bath! It was fun!

Saturday we awake to a howling north wind and an expected maximum temperature of 38 degrees, that is over 100 degrees for those who read this from Texas! Too hot for venturing out so I cancelled the day at the cricket, a decision that everyone who I was planning to meet there thought was the right one!

So it was time for another day in front of the TV.

The weather looks like being a bit nasty back on the Sunshine Coast today with strong wind and heavy rain forecast for this afternoon.

We managed to catch a short movie on our camera of Charli singing the theme to the children's show "Playschool". I have uploaded it to Youtube and the link is to the right in "Rogue's Gallery".

Friday Is Rest Day

Wednesday and Thursday were two very busy and tiring days after a late finish to Christmas Day. Christmas Night with Arj's family was good fun. It was off to a late start (if you have little kids) and finished about midnight. This is a bit too late for them!

There was gift giving, a few carols (which is traditional with Arj's family) and then a wonderful meal of various curries, plenty of rotis to go with it all and sweets to finish up with. I ate too much and suffered into the early morning. Charli though tired was only too keen to try out Dad's keyboard as you can see here. Opening presents was good fun too.


Boxing Day for us was the traditional day at former neighbours Barry and Rainy's down at Drouin. Another great day with plenty to drink and too much to eat but with friends around it was good fun. We arrived back home about midnight after another long day out.

Then on Thursday I was into the MCG to watch Australia Vs India Day 2 of the cricket Test Match. John Logan with whom I had enjoyed the day before with caught up with me and we found the Frank Grey Smith Bar in the MCG Members a very pleasant spot indeed. What was going to be a quiet drink developed into a bit of a session I am afraid! I arrived back at Berwick about 6:30 ready to go out again for meal with Pat and Graeme at their home. Another great night followed with a very pleasant meal. However it was midnight before we were in bed for some well earned sleep.

Therefore Friday for me was a day in front of the TV watching the cricket!

Weather forecasts for home in Queensland indicate some nasty wet and windy weather for that part of the world. The links to 'live webcams ' on the right can give you an up to the minute look at current weather conditions in Caloundra.

Christmas Day 2007

Christmas Eve was spent quietly as usual watching Carols By Candlelight on TV.

Christmas Day is nice and sunny if a little cool. A few wispy clouds but at least it isn't raining.

This is a special day for the kids. Charli is starting to understand a little about it and has grasped the concept of "Presents" fairly rapidly. Needless to say they were both spoilt with heaps of gifts from us as well as Kate and Arj. In "Rogue's Gallery" to the right is a quick movie clip taken this morning.

James thought the bag his presents came in was the best gift, he spent much of the morning trying to eat it.


Charli received her first trike from us but is having a few problems getting it mobile. She also received books, puzzles, games and toys. She had to tip her gifts bag over and crawl in to get her gifts! She handled this pretty well. Mum and Dad were left to unpack the toys. The Fisher Price toys come very well packaged indeed!

Trish received a 'Drink Package' and I got a "Breathalyzer Reader" which I hope to give a bit of use to over the next few days.

As I said earlier, today is a day for families!



We will have a quiet lunch at home here and then early this evening we set off for Arj's family's Christmas Night. It is gift giving, carol singing (which the teenage kids hate!) and eating wonderful Sri Lankan curries.

Tomorrow it is a 60k drive to Drouin for a BBQ with the people went on the Whitsundays Trip. Then I hope to get to a few days of Australia Vs India Test Cricket Match at the MCG before we fly back home again on New Year's day!

Merry Christmas to everyone from Trish and Les!

Family Christmas Celebrations

Every second Christmas we need to have our family get together on a different day to Christmas Day. This year was one of those years. However it worked out well as we were able to get both my sister and her family as well as my brother's family all together for the first time for quite a few years. Nowadays there are wives and girlfriends to involve as well so this makes getting everyone together a real challenge.

Though it was showery early in the day, the weather slowly improved so we were able to get outside and stretch our legs.

For some of the cousins it was the first time they had seen each other for years. My brother's son Jason and his new wife 'Than' had just arrived from Thailand where he had been working for 6 years. We had a great time.

There was Christmas gift giving which was the kids favorite part. Here our son's daughter (and our granddaughter) Emily is transfixed by a new extra large parcel. She really enjoyed the day.


My sister Judy's boy Marcus had trained as a chef so he 'whipped' some Garlic Prawns up on the BBQ along with some mussels and some great sea food sauce to go with it all. Cold meats, salads and a variety of sweets complemented the seafood. No one left the table hungry and there was still plenty of leftovers to wander back to as the day progressed.

It is not an easy job squeezing 18 adults and four kids around the table but we got there!


An Aussie BBQ or family get together always has a sporting part to it whether it is the traditional game of backyard cricket or a swim in the pool. There is always something which happens later in the day! For our family day it was a game of Bocce! Everyone joined in for a bit of fun.

My sister's 'other half' is Peter. We have always enjoyed quite a few drinks together but this Christmas celebration saw Pete have a couple of glasses of red wine. I have travelled to India and have enjoyed the Taj Mahal, I have been on another wonder of the world, the Great Wall of China! Now I have experienced a third wonder of the modern wold, a Christmas day Celebration with Peter NOT having a cool beer!

Everyone enjoyed the day, hopefully we can get everybody back together again not too long into the future!

Stormy Weather Continues

It seems we have brought the stormy Queensland weather with us to Melbourne. Wild winds, thunder and lightning are the order of the day. On top of yesterday's 40 mls there is a further 54 mls in the rain gauge this morning and more heavy rain is predicted for this afternoon. It has cooled off too, going from temps in the high 20's to the mid teens today! It is a bit cold for us.

Kate and Trish are finalizing Christmas shopping. As we fly down, what we can bring with us is limited. Therefore Trish buys most gifts when we are down here. There is also more food to be purchased getting ready for our 'family' Christmas which we are celebrating tomorrow. It has been my job to do some 'baby sitting' which isn't too bad a pastime for a proud grandfather while the ladies are doing the shopping!

Arj finished school for the year yesterday and is currently 'sleeping' as he continues to improve after a heavy "End of School Year" function yesterday. The Jim Beam went down pretty well from what I can work out.

Stormy weather yesterday meant any visiting was sidelined, too inclement to be driving! However last night we went Vietnamese in Springvale with former colleagues Gordon and Anne Atkin, Eddie and Patsy Riordan and Graeme Williamson. We had a terrific night with marvellous food and lots of remembering old times.

Queensland Weather In Melbourne

A tropical storm hit Melbourne on Thursday afternoon dropping about 40mls of rain in a very short time. We spent the day either shopping or catching up with friends.

After the storm had passed we visited Carol and David's home for our annual Christmas Night with them, Russ and Irene and Keith and June.

Great food, a few drinks and a night to remember. It is always great to catch up with good friends.

A lovely sunny day here in Melbourne at the moment but there is the promise of further storms developing during the afternoon. It should get to about 27 or so before the heavens are due to open up again. If anywhere needs the rain, it is here in Melbourne.

In Melbourne

Our flight from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne was with the new budget airline "Tiger Airways" which is an offshoot of Singapore Airlines. The flight was fine but there are a few 'hidden' hassles to flying this way. You must be through the check-in by 45 minutes before takeoff and there is a luggage limit of 15kgs per passenger. Excess luggage in future will be carried at $22 per kilogram. This would take the gloss off any 'cheap' fare you may have got!

We found everything really good with Tiger and had no problems at all. We took a cab to the airport from home instead of our own car and leaving it in the long term carpark. Costs are about the same so rather than leave our car outdoors in a carpark the taxi option should suit us OK at this stage.

We left home at 8:15 am and eventually got to Kate's place in Berwick in Melbourne about 12 hours later. We were picked up from Tullamarine (Melb's airport) at about 2 pm and went to Chris and Wendy's house (about 10 mins away). Then it was to the local school to pick up Andrew and back home again. Chris arrived home from work and then our daughter Kim popped in to collect us. From Chris's place we had a meal with Kim near her home in St Kilda (one of Melbourne's trendy and highly cosmopolitan suburbs). Needless to say the menu was Asian (Malaysian to be exact) and thoroughly enjoyable.

Then Kate arrived without the kids to take us to her home at Berwick where we usually stay when 'down south'.

Wednesday was spent recovering and playing with the grandkids. I jumped onto Arj's computer (our old Dell) and sorted out the webcam problem and did a couple of other odd jobs around the place. Trish just loves being with the grandkids and from the look of this photo of Charli with her toys it is easy to see why. After all it has been less than three weeks since she was here in Melbourne.

Then of course it was out for a meal again, this time to our favorite restaurant "Malaysia Garden" for a great meal. We had to take the well known "Berwick Queen of Curry and Rice" - better to known to us as our granddaughter Charli - with us. As soon as we got near the restaurant Charli called out "Curry and Rice". She doesn't mind it a bit spicy either, the spicier it is, the more water she drinks! Kim and her friend Mandy were there too. A really great evening with lots of laughs and a few drinks.

My cough improves each day and is at the stage where it sounds worse than what it is.

The weather is warm and there are some storms forecast for the next 2 days. Melbourne has extreme water restrictions owing to the prolonged drought this area has been experiencing. We have no such water problem on the Sunshine Coast!

We are out tonight, Friday night and we are baby sitting on Saturday night.

Sunday will be the family's Christmas celebrations with 22 people attending, my sister and her family as well as my brother's family. Should be heaps of fun.

And Then Suddenly, The Heavens Opened Up!

As yesterday (Monday) progressed there was a build up of cloud but nothing which seemed ominous as far as a storm was concerned. The car problem (not always starting) was repaired, it was a hot and sticky day and I mowed the front lawn.

My nasty cough is improving but very slowly.

We sat out the back poolside about 5 pm enjoying a cool drink when it started to 'spit' with rain.

By 6 pm there was an inch of rain in the gauge and when it finally subsided at about 10 pm we had received a whopping 80 mls (or over 3 inches in the old speak).

We had dinner at the Bowls Club with friends and both of us got wet just getting to and from the car. This was even after Trish dropped me at the front door and she used an umbrella after parking the car.

Today we fly to Melbourne to enjoy Christmas with family and to catch up with friends. I can continue the blog page as we still have the laptop computer.

Slow Improvement

The terrible cough I have is improving but it is very slow. Phone conversations remain a 'trial and error exercise' to see if I can complete one without going in to a coughing fit!

We had a night out for tea last night going to a little Thai place which has either indoor or outdoor eating. Anyone who has been here to stay with us with most likely know where we mean. From there to the RSL for a cool drink and to allow Trish to make a donation to the club's coffers via their Poker Machines. It was very pleasant.

Buying Christmas gifts between us comes now to buying something we need ourselves then thanking the other for it. I bought a 2GB USB pen drive. It is so small yet holds 2 GB's of files. Here is a photo of it with a $1 coin just to give you an idea how small the thing is. It is a great way to quickly swap files between a couple of computers.

I received this picture from friends at Newcastle. It shows a pretty murky sky indicating a violent storm is on the way. When you see clouds like this the car goes straight under cover to protect it from potential hail stone damage.

We are beginning to tidy up around the place getting ready for our two week Christmas trip to be with family in Melbourne. Things need to be stowed safely in case a violent storm hits here too. Bikes etc need to be put away safely under lock and key.

More cricket for me to watch on TV today will keep me satisfied. Temps in the low 30's today and the pool is up to 27 or so. Very pleasant swimming I can tell you.

An email from Texas tells me there are some problems there with heavy unseasonal (and extremely rare) fogs. Also the danger drivers there have from deers on the road after dark. Must be like the problems we have with kangaroos and night driving!

Cough Continues

Not a lot of news really, I still break into coughing fits as a friend discovered when they rang from Melbourne last night. I was unable to complete the phone call actually.

We watched the movie "The Departed" last night and we enjoyed it very much. I have taken to downloading movies via the internet and today discovered an outstanding torrent download site and this has kept me gobsmacked for much of today.

Usual jobs about the house this morning, water the plants, vacuum the pool and I gave the house a quick vacuum too. I enjoy eating peanuts (which aren't good for my cough either) and I usually find 'husks' from them all over the floor the next morning! So a quick vacuum gave the place a quick makeover!

Plenty of cricket on the TV the next couple of days so I will be kept busy.

Cool day yesterday with overcast skies and a cool breeze and it struggled to get to the mid 20's. A little warmer today with clearer blue skies. When I had a quick swim this morning the pool was at 24 degrees.

Not Much Of A Storm

Last night's promised storm failed to eventuate with only 4 mls of rain but a comfortable wind change back to cooler and less humid south easterlies. Today's top will be about 26 or so and with an overcast sky.

I still have plenty of coughing and spluttering with this cold going on.

Today was another 'bottling' day and a further 30+ bottles of home brew has been added to the collection. The alcohol content is only about 3%, a little stronger than 'light' beer but not as strong as 'mid strength'. I will add another 100 gms of sugar to the original mix and see if that gives it a small 'lift'. Sorry about being a bit out of focus, but this is a quick photo of the bottling process underway. I prefer photos of the 'emptying process' to this one.

We head south early next week for a fortnight in Melbourne. Our family Christmas Day will be on Sunday December 23rd as Chris has other commitments on Christmas day and our daughter Kim is flying to Bangkok and a holiday just prior to Christmas. Christmas day will be with Kate and the family. Christmas night is spent with Kate's husband's (Arj) family and is a feast of Sri Lankan curries! A great night is always had by all and I think this year it is at Kate's.

My sister Judy and members of her family are joining us on the Sunday too so it should be lots of fun and good times.

Possible Storm Tonight .... Again!

We have been promised a storm almost every night this week, all without any success. Brisbane received a burst of rain overnight while here 100 kilometres north on the Sunshine Coast not a drop of rain was to be seen. The lawn again looks like it badly needs some rain to get it back to its luxurious normal condition for this time of the year.

The week has been one of every day events kind of going to plan. My chest cold continues to be a problem however the anti biotics have kicked in and the chest infection is improving. The cold is now becoming a head cold and I am a bit sniffly. Trish will break out into a brief coughing fit from time to time.

We are now down to one car here at home. The 'good' car doesn't always want to start every time. The fix is easy, just wait thirty seconds and try again. Most times it then starts perfectly. However a trip to the Hyundai dealer showed there was a problem with the 'antenna on the coil' according to the car's onboard computer. A replacement is being shipped from Sydney and will be installed in the next day or so.

I bought Trish a wine cooler for Christmas and she bought me a 2 Gig USB drive, just perfect for swapping files and photos around.

My Rapidshare download account expired today so any movie downloads are now done by the slower P2P method via a 'torrent'.

The pool looks great. The water is about 27 degrees during the day now and about 25 or so overnight. Looks like it would be good for a swim right now actually. Our days are high 20's or low 30's and the weather is sultry. Most nights it gets down to 21 or so and the ceiling fan stays on almost all night.

I manage a swim every day.

Trish was swooped again by magpies so she was very pleased when a puncture meant she couldn't ride for two days. I repaired the tube, checked it was 100% by putting it in the pool to make sure there were no leaks, then I put it back on the bike ready to go. An hour later it was flat again! It was easier just to go and buy a new tube which we did today! She is ready to ride tomorrow!

Bottling day tomorrow with another 'brew' ready to be bottled!

Busy, busy busy!

On The Mend

It is now Monday and I am feeling better. This was not the case the last couple of days with this 'cold' knocking me around. I do not sleep long nights any more but I have certainly slept well the last two nights. The coughing has been so intense, my chest aches just at the thought of a cough!

This morning I had a further dentist appointment to do more work on the problem tooth I had a fortnight ago. It was not a comfortable thing to do in my current medical condition. I have a doctor's appointment later this afternoon for more antibiotics for the chest infection! YUCK!!!!

When Trish returned home from Melbourne she brought some more photos from the Whitsundays trip. I will include a few of these for when I need of a photo for the blog page.


Trish was back on for a bike ride this morning while I was left 'recovering from my chest cold'. Despite being into December, another magpie swooped her.

We are 'in the wars' aren't we!

Saturday's News

Whilst in Newcastle Trish developed a cold, and now we both have it. We get a nasty tickle in the throat and a bit of a raspy cough. Trish was over the worst of it in a day or so so I probably have 24 more hours to go.

A wet morning this morning with 11 mls in the rain gauge. But then this is the wettest time of the year here in Queensland.

I put some superphosphate on the garden this morning while there was still a bit of a shower about.

The temp is still expected to get to about 30 this afternoon but with this morning's rain we can expect it to be hot and steamy.

More Newcastle News

The main reason for us travelling to Newcastle recently was to attend a 'surprise' 50th birthday party for Michael Colloghan. We met Michael and Janet when we were caravanning at Mudgee about 6 years ago. We were in vans across from each other. They seemed to enjoy a drink and during the traditional caravan park "Happy Hour" we met, enjoyed a few drinks together and have been friends ever since.

However Trish's eldest brother lives at Nelson Bay which is near Newcastle so it was a great chance to catch up with him. He now lives in special accommodation as he has Parkinson's Disease and can no longer care for himself. We collected him and took him for a drive and later a cup of coffee at one of the shopping centres at Nelson Bay.

Michael's birthday bash was very much a family affair. We were perhaps the only only outsiders there so we were indeed honoured. Many of Michael's family now live in Sydney so they all took the 160k drive north and spent the weekend in and around Newcastle. These are the members of Michael's immediate family and some of their friends.

We stayed with Michael and Janet and enjoyed their hospitality. This is us with the 'birthday boy'.



We left Newcastle Monday morning and drove 700 k's up to Burleigh Heads which is on the Gold Coast to catch up with more friends, Det and Brenda. They were waiting for us with the fridge fully stacked with cold beer! After a hectic weekend and a lot of driving, another night of drinking was not ideal for us ... but it was very enjoyable!

We departed Det and Brenda's at about 10:30 am on Tuesday and drove the last 180 k's to eventually get home early afternoon. It was a hectic but very enjoyable weekend away!

We have very hot and humid weather at the moment. It was very sticky yesterday and the pool was a popular spot for us. However it clouded over during the afternoon and we received a nice 12 mls (.5 inch) of rain which was ideal for the garden. Nowadays the pool is about 24 in the morning and if we have sunny weather it gets up to almost 27 during the day.

Home From Birthday Trip

Trish and I arrived back on the Sunshine Coast from Newcastle on Tuesday afternoon. On Friday she flew to Newcastle from Melbourne while I arrived in Newcastle to pick her up after driving (900k's) from the Sunshine Coast. We were attending a 'surprise' 50th birthday party as well as taking the opportunity to visit Trish's older brother and a nephew in Nelson Bay.

Info via this blog has been sketchy before I went away as being a surprise party I did not want to give information away in case the birthday person read it in these pages!

A highlight of the trip was an open air concert "In the Vineyards" given by Elton John. I enjoy his music but I must admit I am not a real fan. However he is a legend and I reckon a 'must see' if and when the opportunity arises. And he did not let us down.

We travelled to the venue (about 70k's from Newcastle) by bus. It was in the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's premier wine growing areas. Needless to say there was a lot of wine for sale prior to and during the concert. We found a few seats and sat down for a drink and a bite to eat for the hour or two we had to wait for the concert for the 10,000 audience to begin. There was a small choice of whites or red wines to purchase as well as boutique beers. You could also buy a hamburger for $15 if you were really hungry! $5 for a beef stroganoff meat pie was enough for me!

In the above photo Michael is seen standing with his daughter Michelle to one side. His other daughter Kathryn and son Brendan can be seen in this photo too. Jan is 'waving' to the camera while Trish seems quite at home too.

Purchasing drinks was easy to do too.


4 bottles of wine later we took our seats as the Elton John took to the stage. He sang all his hits and kept the crowd captivated. Cameras flashed and the crowd sang and danced to "Crocodile Rock". My favorite was "Candles In The Wind". To complement a single performer and piano 'on stage' two large video screens were playing either side providing close ups of Elton John or his hands as he played the piano. The concert went for well over two hours and at the conclusion we made our way back to the bus and a slow trip back to Janet and Michael's home. We got to bed about midnight but needed to be up early the next day to begin our trip home.

A Not Fully Painless Wednesday

It took about 45 minutes in the dentist's chair yesterday to have the first phase of my Root Canal dental procedure completed. It is not my favorite way to spend an afternoon but this morning things seem to be on the improve. The jaw remained painful last night but is probably somewhere between 90% and 95% this morning. This is mainly due to the infection for which I continue to take antibiotics. Drinking a cold drink is not a short cut to hell, and the pain is like a dull ache which you really only notice if you think about it.

It is quite overcast with bursts of sunshine from time to time. Nice and warm though with temps likely to get to 26 or so. A final load of washing is on the line before I catch up with Trish again on Friday soon after lunch. More details to follow!

We do not have any water restrictions here, one of the few places along the Australian East Coast which a free from restrictions owing to the long drought the country has been experiencing. Therefore we are able to water flowers and gardens and refilling the pool as required is not a problem. Some of our potted plants are looking pretty spectacular at the moment, though not as pretty as the snowfalls have made Sweetwater Texas!




The recent Federal Election Results have seen the Howard Liberal Government thrown out of office to be replaced by the Rudd Labor Government. Commentators say the Howard government became even more conservative during its last term in office, allowing Labor to reclaim the valuable middle ground and thus be swept into power. Issues such as Climate Change (the refusal to sign the Kyoto Agreement) and the new WorkChoices Legislation allowing employers to sack workers without reason seemed to go against the grain of the Aussie "Fair Go" spirit. The Howard Government certainly felt the wrath of the Australian voter and suffered a huge defeat. Some say the writing was on the wall when the Liberals won a majority in "The Senate" a couple of years ago which allowed them to run rough shod over any dissent and implement unpopular policies. Labor has promised to repeal these laws as a high priority. The next step will be to see what the repealing of these laws does to the level of unemployment which currently sit at an almost all time low.

D Day (Dentist Day)

A call about lunchtime from the dentist on Monday got me in to see him that afternoon rather than Tuesday. The tooth had become infected and the discomfort has been eased enormously after just taking a couple of antibiotics. I awoke Tuesday morning to just the minimum of discomfort but with the knowledge the dentist wanted me back again ASAP to begin the root canal procedure before the infection flared again. So I am back to see him this afternoon at 2:30 to begin the procedure.

We have been waiting over 5 weeks to have an awning installed over the computer room/office/3rd bedroom window. There isn't an eave over the window so even the lightest fall of rain sees water through the window just near a power point! This is what the window was like at 9:30 am this morning and below is what is like at 10:15.

Now we will be able to leave the window ajar to let cooling breezes in and I don't have to worry if I inadvertently leave it open and we have rain. This room can be the hottest in the house.

Texas Lou sent me this photo after even more snow fell at her Texan home. She said as the tree still had most of its leaves still on it, the snow built up on the foliage causing branches to droop down to the ground under the snow's weight. Pretty though isn't it?

Remember to click on the photo for a larger view, then click on back to return to this page.

A Great Weekend

Trish is still down south and I believe had a great weekend catching up with people and attending Charli's 2nd birthday party. From what I hear everyone had a great time.

Meanwhile, here on the Sunshine Coast, I had some visitors drop in from down south from my from my teaching days while principal at Langwarrin P.S. As many of you know, L.P.S. was involved with an International Exchange Program for senior primary school aged students. There was usually one exchange each year, we hosted their delegates from overseas while later our delegates travelled there.

Trish and I took a delegation of 6 students to new Delhi in India for 3 weeks. We became very close with those kids and their families. For everyone it was a life changing experience.

One of the students was Daniel and yesterday he, his Dad and step mum spent several hours here altogether. Daniel is the person who I have mentioned in my blog before as an engineer who was working in Dubai at one stage.

We had a very quick look around Caloundra, took in lunch at the King's Beach Tavern and then a quick swim back here.


Terry and Jan were attending a friend's 50th birthday party in Noosa and flew up from Melbourne for a few days. Daniel is currently based on the Gold Coast and drove up for a couple of days to see Terry and Jan.

Last week I had some attention to a tooth. It has flared badly and I am in some discomfort but I cannot get in to see the dentist until tomorrow (hopefully). I can still eat on one side and a cold drink does not set it 'off'.

I also have a 'bottling' to complete today! The tomato plants appear to have improved following getting a good serve of fertilizer.

Friday's News Update

Awoke this morning to another fine day but with a build up of cloud expected and a max of about 26 degrees. I was enjoying a coffee in the kitchen about 6:20 am and I noticed some ripples from the pool. A closer inspection showed a cane toad (a local pest) had spent the night swimming in the pool. I removed it and put the two iron to work! Those who have been up here to see us will know what I mean.

After coffee it was off for another 13 kilometre bike ride at about 6:30 am before it gets too hot. Upon my return home it was time for a quick swim to cool off at about 7:30, then a little tidying up, a shower and get ready for another trip to the Chiropractor by 9:30.

While much of this was going on I also converted a movie I had downloaded overnight called "Romulus, My Father" which gets a great ranking on IMDB (Internet Movie data Base) at http://www.imdb.com/ - a site worth putting in your "Favorites".

The Chiro recommended I spend the afternoon quietly to allow my back to recover. I said I will sit down and watch some more cricket on TV. She said I should get up from the chair from time to time and have a short walk. I will do this, I will walk from my chair to the fridge to fill my glass with more home brew! She said that this wasn't exactly what she meant!

I have a bit of a problem with the two tomato plants we have planted in pots in the backyard. Some of the leaves are turning yellow and eventually a whole 'branch' of them will wilt and the branch falls off. Bunnings told me they needed a good feed which I have given them. I hope this fixes them up.

Remember you can click on the photos for a larger view, then hit "Back" to return to this page.

The longer I have the new computer the more small problems I have with Vista. Trish has taken the 'new' Fuji camera to Melbourne and I have been left with the old Pentax. I went to load the Pentax drivers so the computer could 'see' the Pentax OK and I could download any photos I may have taken. Because the Pentax is an older digital camera, the drivers are compatible with Windows XP, not Vista. There aren't any Vista drivers for this model camera.

I can get around this by using a 'card reader' Trish gave me. I pull the CF card out of the camera and place it in the card reader, then plug the card reader into the computer and download the photos that way. A bit messy but at least I can get the photos off the old camera.

We are expecting thundery rain tonight and into tomorrow and cooler temps. Texas Lou says they had their first snow last night, just before their "Thanksgiving" as seen in this photo from her. A few days ago she said they had temps in the mid 20's, then last night it snows!

Tomorrow is Federal Election Day.

Wednesday's Busy Start

Awoke to a beautiful morning but a little on the cloudy side. I then did a 13 k bike ride down to the beach. It is not a direct 'as the crow flies' line to the beach but it is right on 5 k's to get there. You have seen this photo before but I took it again this morning. The build up of cloud off the coast is a sign there is lots of moisture and humidity about. When this cloud mixes with a 'trough' or 'cold front' late Friday it means we will be in for some thundery rain. Possibly we will even get a storm tonight.

Our new Woolworths (Safeway) supermarket is well underway. I am not sure when it is due to open but it can't be too far away. I rode past it this morning and took this photo.



Home from the bike ride and a quick swim in the pool. Still about 23 in the pool this morning and hopefully about 25 or so this afternoon. Today's forecast temp is about 27 degrees.

Then washed 33 bottles getting ready for another home brew bottling sometime over the weekend. They are drying right now.

We have new neighbours in the small house next door. There are three kids in there and currently (with visitors) 5 adults. Our quiet little world is not as quiet as it used to be but still not too bad. I can tell you the kids go to bed at 6:30 pm!

My hearing aid device is in for a 'service' in Brisbane at the moment but I hope to get it back tomorrow.

I have added a couple of photos to yesterday's post which may further explain some things.

It's A Bit Scary ......

Thanks to Texas Lou for this :

Click on link below.

Click Here

The Cricket Is Over So Now I Can Update The Blog Page!

I have had a sensitive tooth and whenever I have a cold drink it nearly sends me into outer space. It is where I have had a series of fillings in the one tooth over many years. I got sick of it so ventured down to the dentist yesterday, not one of my favorite pastimes at all!

He removed the old filling, replaced it with a temporary filling and said I needed to make up my mind as where to next with the tooth. There are two options, extraction or Root Canal work! Neither strike me as pleasant choices! However it is nice to be able to enjoy a cold drink again, even with a temporary filling!

I got in another 10 k bike ride this morning around the estate and by the ducks in the centrepiece lake. I see yet another area of the estate has been opened for sale and I saw one builder has a House For Sale sign up with a four bedroom house for about $459,000! That is a lot of money!




The cricket finished soon after lunch today so I had plenty of time to give the front lawn a mow then I had a quick cool-off in the pool. The pool temp is about 25 degrees but it loses several degrees overnight. The day temp was up to about 27 earlier but the afternoon sea-breeze dropped that back to the mid twenties this afternoon.

Monday Morning!

Not a lot of news from the last few days.

Trish has arrived safely 'down south' and after spending time with son Chris, Wendy and family on Saturday night she spent Sunday with youngest daughter Kim where she spent the night.

Today she moves on to Kate's home where she will stay and spend the rest of her time in Melbourne.

Life here on the 'Coast' continues to be dominated by me watching the Second Cricket Test live from Hobart in Tasmania.

My back has been very tender the last few days but I was able to do 10 k's on the bike yesterday morning around the lakes which are the centrepiece for this estate. As the estate is extended so to are the bike paths. The lakes in the middle of the estate provide the 'hub' for the area. Ducks frequent the lakes along with a variety of other birdlife. There are benches around the lakes making this area a very popular one with residents.



I had a call from people down south who will be visiting Noosa next weekend and I have made arrangements to catch up with them 'over a few drinks' on Sunday afternoon. One of the kids we took to India in '96 will be there. Daniel is now a successful engineer who has worked on the massive new building in Dubai. I am looking forward to seeing them all again very much.

My kids have got me involved with "Facebook" on the web and another former student "Dani" has invited me to be her friend.

Gilgandra!

Trish was able to miss most of the severe accident on the Bruce Hwy Thursday morning though they were still delayed with slow traffic for some time. However they will have got to Gilgandra which is half way between the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne. It is about 1000k's from here!

Hopefully they will arrive at Tullamarine tomorrow at about 5 pm on Saturday evening!

This arrived in an email recently. As a Baby Boomer myself I am not too sure about this!

It was fun being a baby boomer...until now. Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby-boomers.

They include:

Herman's Hermits--- Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker.

Ringo Starr--- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees--- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Bobby Darin--- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.

Roberta Flack--- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash--- I Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon--- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores--- Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Marvin Gaye--- Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.

Procol Harem--- A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer--- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations--- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.

Abba --- Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando--- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.

Helen Reddy--- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.

Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.

And my favourite:

Willie Nelson--- On the Commode Again.

Tour Of UK and Ireland

When we do the UK Europe bit in 2008 we will be taking two escorted tours. I have put a map of the second and largest tour on yesterday's post. We are also doing a shorter 13 day tour of UK and Ireland. This map gives you an idea of where we plan on going. Trish's father was born and raised in Warrington so Trish was pleased that this tour has a one night stopover there.

Last night we attended an Information Night put on by the local Travel Agent. It provided a deeper look at the company Insight who are the tour people for both tours we are doing.

They have some give aways there and we scored a baseball style cap and a bottle of red wine. Made it all worthwhile!

A nasty accident on the main highway down to Brisbane this morning has closed the highway. This may have caught Trish as she set off to Melbourne this morning. This may delay her arrival time in Melbourne as the highway is to be closed for at least 4 hours.

Surprise Visitors Pop In

Melbourne friends Carol and David Hewitt are sharing a holiday house at Noosa (60k's north of here) with their daughter Sian and family (Craig, Lilly and Jade). Craig is a keen bike rider and has been competing in the Noosa Triathlon and other more recent cycling events up there.

They dropped in for a long visit yesterday afternoon and the the youngsters arrived several hours later.

From there we were all to the King's Beach Tavern for an evening meal than back home for coffee. Carol and David eventually headed back to Noosa at about 9 pm.

Trish is busy packing for her trip to Melbourne tomorrow. She will be away for over 2 weeks. I expect to catch up with her later.

Our flights to UK and Europe have been booked. The tours have been booked and the final accommodation is still to be finalized. Here is a page from the tour guide giving the tour outline. We are also doing a 2 week tour of UK, Scotland and Ireland. Click on the picture for a larger view. Then click on "Back" to return to this page.

The Travel Agent with whom we are travelling is having a public Information Night tonight at one of the local clubs and we are heading along to discover as much as we can.

They Got me For The First Time in 2007

Despite Trish being swooped the other day by a couple of nasty magpies, so for in 2007 I have escaped. This has now changed. I was feeling a little adventuresome and it is getting towards the close of the swooping season so I rode along a section which has been notorious in the past for magpie attacks. And 2007 is no different. Though not a vicious attack I was swooped a few times and made a hasty escape.

Here in South East Queensland we are still under the influence of the recent Australia wide attack of Equine Influenza, (horse flu). Horse racing has been shutdown in this corner of the state but is due to resume early December. Our local race course has not hosted a racing for a couple of months now. Even the specially erected marquees have been empty for some time. However some much needed maintenance has been carried out while getting ready for the season opening in a few weeks.

Trish has been busy planning for a UK Europe trip in May 2008. It looks like we will be away for about 6 weeks and doing a couple of 'whistlestop' trips around UK and much of Europe. We are at the stage of booking tours and finalizing air travel.

The weather remains coolish with temps around the mid 20's.