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.

Obviously There Isn't Much News Today!

One of the things which we have noticed about moving to live in another state is the need to update you gardening knowledge. We bought a couple of these plants (see left) and put them into a couple of large pots. What we didn't know was that as the plants grew taller the leaves at the lower levels of the plant would just fall off. So in the finish all you get is a couple of tall stems with some leaves growing from the head of the plant! Not a pleasant sight at all when you consider the cost of the plants and pots.

We were then told you can 'fill' the lower areas of the plant in by cutting the stem off at or about ground level and a new stem would grow giving you two stems of different heights. We tried this a kept our fingers crossed that a new shoot would grow. We tried it once and actually got two new shoots to grow.

About mid winter we tried it again, cutting a tall ugly stem off each of our two potplants. We are now into the midst of the growing season and have a look at what has happened! The plant on the left has three new shoots while the plant pictured below has five new shoots.

Cool weather continues with showers and some sunny breaks. Only low to mid 20's again. A bit hard to take while Melbourne is enjoying fine sunny days and temps in the mid 20's. The pool is really cooling off!

More Photos From Whitsundays Trip

The weather here continues on the 'cool' side. We had a couple of heavy showers overnight with Caloundra receiving another 11 mls of rain. The day is a windy from the south east and the heat is just not there. The Test cricket on TV gives me a bit to fill in the day.

I had a bit of a problem after mucking around with some 'controls' and my firewall would not run. A "System Restore" got things running again.

We were invited for a meal with our former neighbours Andrew and Naomi and family last night. It was a great 'family' night. Naomi is expecting their third child in February next year.

Here are some more photos taken on our recent Whitsundays trip. When in calm weather two of the girls made themselves at home on the bow of the Leopard Seal and enjoyed a glass of wine. Looks pretty impressive doesn't it? The photo below shows a yacht at anchor near the beach. The sea looks fantastic!


This photo is yet another of the spectacular Whitehaven Beach. Remember to click on each photo for a larger view. Then click on "Back" to return to this page. I hope you are enjoying the Whitsundays Trip photos!

Saturday's News

Life has returned to normal to a certain degree. We now have neighbours living either side of us. This is the first time this has been the case since February this year. A young family moved in next door between showers of rain late on Thursday. Things are still being organized in there.

After the cooler weather arrived on Tuesday, it has remained mid twenties the last few days. Nights are usually about 17 or so and hot weather is not expected again until mid next week. The pool has cooled off again.

We are back into the bike riding each morning again and we both manage to get about 10 kilometres per day. This morning Trish had her first brush with swooping magpies and they pursued her for quite a time. She stopped to protect herself and slid off the pedals giving her leg a nasty bruise. I offered to kiss it better for her but was told very quickly it wasn't quite that bad.

The first Cricket Test vs Sri Lanka is on TV at the moment (Thursday to Monday - if it goes that long) and I find watching the game fills most days in very easily. I enjoy watching cricket very much.

One of the places we frequently pass is a spot called The Duckponds. This photo shows what it used to look like. The one below shows how it looks today. The whole place has been cleaned out and cleared to make a pleasant family park area. Remember to click on the pictures for a larger view, then click on "Back" to return to this page.

Cool And Dismal Weather Continues

Melbourne Cup Day yesterday did not pan out as I had expected. We decided to head to the Dicky Beach Surf Club for lunch to enjoy the Cup Day festivities. Melbourne Cup Day is NOT a public holiday here in Queensland yet you would hardly notice it wasn't! Quite a few shops and small businesses in the main street had signs saying they were closing for business at 1:30 that afternoon. There was hardly a car on the road. It was like a 'quiet' Sunday.

Yet upon arrival at the Dicky Beach Surf Club you would hardly know it was a working day. Club car parking was at a premium and the TAB Bar (Betting Area) was standing room only. The dining area was packed too and it took some time before we could get what turned out to be the last available table. Does this look like a normal 'working day' crowd?

Remember you can click on the pictures for a bigger view, just click on "Back" to return to this page.

We sat and enjoyed a few more drinks and our meal. I am not a big betting person but Trish and Kim had a bet on most races. I had my first ever TAB bet on a horse race, $5 each way on Mahler in the 'Cup' and was pleased to pocket $20 when it ran third!

We drove Kim to the local Maroochydore Airport by 5:30 in time for her flight back to Melbourne. It is always great to have one of the family up for a visit and this was no exception. It was great to spend some quality time together.

We both got to bed fairly early and both will be enjoying an AFD (Alcohol Free Day) today. The cooler damp weather is continuing today with a top of about 23. A few showers are expected.

A Cold Outbreak For Cup Day

The trip to the sensational restaurant 'Spirit of Tibet' and Mooloolaba did not eventuate yesterday. Instead we ventured to the local 'Thai" restaurant. The food was quite good and the driving a lot less. It is also BYO for drinks so fairly inexpensive. From the restaurant we headed to the Caloundra RSL for a few more drinks and a flutter on the poker machines. Every Monday night at the RSL has good entertainment and the former local Queensland group Wickety Wack had reformed and was doing a tour of the state. They had a number one hit back in the 80's and were extremely popular up here in Queensland.

They put on a great show with lots of laughs and plenty of music from the 50's onwards for everyone to enjoy. This part of the world is well known for the number of retirees and the entertainment put on at the RSL often reflects the musical tastes of the older community. People in their 60's and 70's were joining in with the songs and everyone enjoyed themselves very much indeed.

As we left the club at about 11 pm we walked out into a light shower of rain. By 6:30 am this morning the light shower had become a 21 ml of sustained overnight rain. Currently the temperature is only in the hight teens and long sleeved shirts and jumpers have been dug out again.

A good day perhaps to sit by the TV and enjoy watching the Melbourne Cup from Melbourne where the sun is shining brightly.



Kim flies back to Melbourne tonight.

A Sunny But Cooler Monday

Today is a little cooler with a top temp expected of around 27 degrees though it will be warmer in our little backyard which is sheltered from the wind. Cooler weather is expected tomorrow with rain most of the day.

The expected 'handover' of the house next door (on the left as you face our front door) happens today. Hopefully we will have some new neighbours this week. The house has been virtually empty since early February.

This morning was like most others and began with a bike ride. Kim joined us as we knocked over a shorter than usual 7 kilometres or so. This was after a great day yesterday with cocktails, prawns (shrimps) and oysters. Trish slept really well last night! She is expecting a quieter day today!

After getting back from the ride we all enjoyed a quick dip in the pool followed by a light breakfast and cup of tea or coffee poolside. Usually we don't have sticky flies but today there were a few about. Kim used the 'fly gun' while the rest of us had traditional fly swats!


After lunch we will head off to do some shopping, some sight seeing around Mooloolaba and eat out at "Spirit Of Tibet". I guess the Mooloolaba Surf Club will feature somewhere in those plans too.

Kim Visits Us From Melbourne

Our youngest daughter Kim flew in Saturday afternoon, about 2 hours late following a 'mechanical fault'. She arrived to a windy, warm and sunny Sunshine Coast leaving some showers behind in Melbourne. Kim and Trish enjoyed "Men In Tutus" at the local Events Centre on Saturday night.

Here Sunday was hot. Our little backyard is quite enclosed so it gets hotter than the surrounding yards. The thermometre hit about 35 in the back corner today. There was quite a bite in the sun. The pool seemed the best option as you can see from this photo.

This was followed by the traditional prawns and oysters luncheon with leftovers for our evening meal. We enjoyed a few drinks too. There were some other tasy nibbles, spicy sausage, stuffed olives, cheeses and biscuits too. A wonderful meal washed down with a couple of cleansing (home brewed and therefore tasty) ales!

Then it was time to relax. A huge thank you to Irene for my pool chair. You were right, it is extremely comfortable as you can probably tell from this photo. Kim is here for 2 more days before flying home on Tuesday. I believe the shop "Trade Secret" is on the agenda for tomorrow!

I spent much of the day preparing the old computer (the Dell) ready for its new home. I deleted programs which would no longer be required but I got a bit of a fright when the keyboard and mouse stopped working! Managed to get them going again though when I reinstalled a program I had deleted!

Still Nice And Warm

The end of the first week after returning from our Whitsundays trip. Some house chores, cleaning, mowing lawns, cleaning cars have been done over the last 36 hours. Trish's car is about to be driven to Melbourne where it will 'live' from now on. A couple of new tyres and and wheel balance all round is getting it ready for its trip south in about a fortnight.

The 'big' car had a good clean up yesterday removing the grime etc from a 2000k round trip to Airlie Beach.

These Whitsunday pics show that not everyone woke up each morning 'bright eyed and bushy tailed'. However if you are going to be a little 'under the weather' this was a reasonable place to be feeling a bit off.


After 3 full days cruising the esky (the large white box in front of us) needed refilling with ice. This was done at the Airlie Beach Marina where we pulled in for a few hours. The ladies ventured into town to buy a few provisions while the guys restocked the ice and refilled the esky! It was warm work as you can probably tell.

Our daughter Kim is flying up for a few days tomorrow and she will find a nice hot and sunny day when she arrives. However Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be a little cooler with perhaps a few showers of rain.

However I am sure we will all have a great time.