Harvey Norman Factory Outlet

I had spoken with Arj (Kate's husband) about some of the specials I had spotted at the Harvey Norman Factory Outlet. Arj was in the market for a new DVD/Bluray player. So we headed to the outlet shop early today. Arj bought a Pioneer for $160 while the ticketed price was $455. They walked away with about $250 worth of stuff. They bought a bluray player, a DVD player which also plays downloaded movie .avi files ($40), some hdmi cables and a rechargeable shaver (a gift).

Upon arrival back home we setup the Bluray player in the lounge and the DVD on the smaller TV in the family room. Ideally the Bluray Player needed a $10 optical audio lead which Arj grabbed later in the day. By the time it was all setup everything was working perfectly. Arj now gets DTS sound through the new optical lead via his Bluray player and everything is perfect.

The cheap DVD player plays most movies I have downloaded beautifully.

Later in the day we rang Eddie and Patsy re our plans to go Vietnamese for tea. Despite short warning we all met up and had a wonderful feast at about $15 per head!

The plan now is to drive to Yass tomorrow (Fri) where we will stay overnight. Then on Saturday we will head in to Canberra and catch up with an elderly aunt. Late morning we will head off to Newcastle where we plan to spend a couple of nights with Janet and Mick (alcohol will be involved) before heading for home Monday.

We should arrive back home later on Monday, possibly even after dark.

I am not sure what internet access we will have so this may be my last post for a couple of days!

At Least It Is Warmer

At least I got to two days of the cricket! The second day was sure warmer but I went dressed in my winter woolies! Australia was 'belted' in the game and well defeated. I watched the last bit of the game on TV this morning.

After lunch Trish and I ventured into Dandenong for a look around the shopping centre there. The Char Kway Teow we had for lunch was great. Cosmopolitan now has an even greater meaning for me. I reckon Europeans were a minority group at this place. But we enjoyed our look around.

Earlier a friend had alerted me to a shop called Harvey Norman Clearance Outlet. Harvey Norman is a huge electrical and furniture discounter here in Australia. This shop was their 'clearance centre'. I bought a couple of HDMI leads which were originally priced at a total of about $70. I bought the two leads for a total of $5. They had amplifiers at almost half price! It is a shame I didn't need any equipment!

Later it was tea at Malaysia Garden with Kate, Arj and the kids. It was an exceptional family get together.

Tomorrow is our last night in Melbourne prior to driving home on Friday. We expect to get to Yass in NSW late Friday, visit Canberra early Saturday before heading to to Newcastle. We will stay there for two nights and eventually spend Monday driving back home getting home Monday evening.

17 Degrees At The MCG Today!

Boy but was it cold! I was up and about reasonably early today to head into the MCG and see Day 2 of the test match against England. Yesterday's play had been disastrous so there wasn't much incentive to head in. It looked a little overcast so i decided to wear a thick shirt and my new coat I brought down here to wear to the footy in winter! I was glad I did because the temperature around lunchtime was a mere 12 degrees and this is meant to be summer. I was on the train and heading home by 4pm just to get warm again. During a quick sunny break the temp 'jumped' to 17 for a few minutes!

Boxing Day saw us head down to Drouin to Barry and Rainy's for the annual Boxing Day BBQ. The morning was nice enough but by the afternoon it was overcast, showery and down to 15 degrees. However it was a great day catching up with everyone again. But once more there was too much to drink and heaps to eat! The photo shows some of the 'mob' seated enjoying a beer and a chat!

I am heading back to the MCG again tomorrow but this will be my last day. Already Australia appears to be on the ropes and ready to capitulate. It has been a long time since we were beaten so comprehensively! And the weather bureau is suggesting it will be a pleasant 25 degrees and I can handle that!

We had a lovely curry dish tonight. The photo below shows Charli helping her mum get our evening meal ready!
Still plenty of rain back home! Looks like another inch and a half today on top of heaps we have endured during the last week or so. It seems to be about an inch of rain a day at the moment back there.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas!

On Thursday we managed to get our youngest daughter Kim to Tullamarine Airport quite comfortably in plenty of time for her flight and a 6 week holiday to India. She was flying in to Mumbai and then had a couple of 'wait line' bookings on trains to Goa. We heard from her yesterday saying she had not been able to get a seat on the train and was now waiting at Mumbai Airport for her flight to Goa.

Our half-price Chinese meal with Chris Wendy & family filled us up but the food quality wasn't a patch on the Vietnamese food we enjoyed a night or two before. But it was great to catch up with Chris, Wendy and our two grand children Andrew and Emily just before Christmas. Chris has recently bought a new TV which has an inbuilt Media Player. After I showed him how well it worked with some of the movies I had, he quickly got 120 movies or so off me onto a hard drive he had sitting there.

Grandson Andrew has discovered Usenet and was delighted with the new Wii computer game he had been able to download. I helped him extract the game and then burn it to disk. It works perfectly for him and he was very pleased with himself. This photo above left shows one of our grand daughters Emily with Trish.

Friday afternoon saw us across the see my brother Geoff for the afternoon. Again about 20 movies crossed over and I introduced him to "Internet Radio". The day was lots of fun and it was great to catch up again. On the way home we stopped off in Springvale for another Vietnamese meal. We had Hokkien Fried Rice with egg and seafood sauce as well as Satay Chicken. We had problems finishing it all!

After we arrived back at Kate's we watched the annual "Carols" on TV before the spanners and screwdrivers came out to put things together ready for Christmas Day.

Christmas Day began early with the patter of little feet and suppressed squeals of glee. The looks on Charli and James' faces made the long drive down from Caloundra all the more worth while. It wasn't long till wrapping paper littered the floor and the two bikes were being expertly ridden around the house.

For Christmas Lunch this year we are again joining Arj's family. It is lunch this year instead of the evening meal which is quite a change. There will be lovely Sri Lankan curries to enjoy, gift giving and even a little carol singing in the true Sri Lankan Christian tradition.

Tomorrow Boxing Day will see us head to Drouin for a BBQ and the day with friends Barry and Rainy, John and Sue and Wayne and Launa. It promises to be a BIG day. On Monday I am off to the 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Merry Christmas to all!

Time For An Update

Things have been busy for us. We have a big Christmas gathering for 8 people each year. The eight make up our good friends from when we lived here in Melbourne. Couples take it in turn to host and prepare the main meal while others provide nibbles or sweets etc. As we don't live here it is impossible (or nearly) for us to take a turn at cooking the main meal. With some help Trish offered to cook the main meal this year. We borrowed June & Keith's kitchen Monday afternoon and Trish prepared an Indian meal which did go down very well. While Trish cooked I re organised and updated Keith's movies on his external hard disk drive, hopefully making it easier for him.

After that it was into Keith's garage to sort out how to tune his TV in his caravan. He now knows it does work and hopefully the notes I have left them will help them out.

The meal was great, the company excellent and the drink over enjoyed! An excellent night was enjoyed by all. We had Kris Kringle and Trish received an ornamental tree and I got another JB HI FI voucher. I now have $100 to spend there!

Tuesday evening we caught up with Patsy and Eddie at our Springvale favorite restaurant. To describe the meal as sensational is an understatement. That we could eat so well and so cheaply is just amazing!

Wednesday morning Kate, Arj and family went swimming at the local heated pool. Trish and I got into some window cleaning! Wow, what an improvement. The grand kids enjoyed their swim and a sit down for us was welcome at the end of the work.

During the afternoon I caught up with good friends Gordon and Anne for a few drinks and catch up on the gossip from my teaching days!

We did some baby sitting that night and watched a very good movie called "Handsome Harry". Earlier in the week we watched "Black Swan" which left us a little bewildered. She started off mad, became madder as the movie progressed and was even madder at the end. The leading actress is expected to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Today after a morning tea with Pat and Graeme we are taking Kim to the Airport for her trip to India for 6 weeks. From the airport we will see Chris, Wendy and the kids and enjoy a half price meal at a local Chinese restaurant. The dim sims are exceptional and all half price!

Back From Family Christmas

The family congregated at Ocean Grove for our Christmas festivities. It was wonderful to have everybody together, grand children and all. We had plenty to eat and drink. There was backyard cricket for all to join in and heaps of new presents to enjoy.

It was especially great for the kids and they had a ball. It was also a sort of farewell for our youngest daughter who is heading to India for 6 weeks or so.

The house we 'rented' didn't live up to everyone's expectations and there were some 'basic' sleeping conditions. Our daughter Kate knows of another house with 4 double beds etc and this one would have suited us better.

We are now back at Berwick and ready for a quiet night. Trish and I slipped out to our favorite Malaysian eatery called Malaysia Garden tonight. The Char Kway Teow they serve there is to die for!

Tomorrow evening is another night out with friends for yet another Christmas Dinner together. But this is the reason we come down to Melbourne, to eat, drink, be merry and catch up with family and friends.

I think it is summer here in Victoria. It is about 10 degrees outside right now and we have had some storms to contend with. I didn't think it could be this cold in summer!

The rain continues to fall at home too it seems. 3 inches of rain a couple of days ago and now another inch and a half today!

From Melbourne

Sorry about the blandness of some of the stuff on the blog! (See previous comment!)

Anyway we have arrived safely in Melbourne after a 1840k trip. It took about 20 hours driving, of which the last 90 minutes or so was in peak hour stop start Melbourne traffic! We struck (literally) several swarms of locusts on the trip down through southern New South Wales. I cleaned the car this morning and found dead bugs everywhere, across the front of the car, in the radiator core, in the windscreen wipers, in every conceivable nook and cranny in the engine bay, just everywhere! They took some steady brushing to get rid of some of them!

Interesting to encounter the cooler weather down here with a minimum temperature of around 12 degrees, much cooler than the 21 or 22 we were getting back home. It appears thunderstorms struck at home yesterday as a nearby weather station recorded 72 mls overnight!

Right now we are again packing ready to head to Ocean Grove where we have hired a house for two nights. Trish and I will take the kids down in Kate's Nissan X-Trail while Kate and Arj will follow after Arj finishes work later today in our (nice and clean) car!

It should be great fun with all the family being there together to celebrate Christmas!

Ready To Head Off Tomorrow

We are about to leave for our annual Christmas trip to Melbourne. We plan to drive down there leaving here about 5 am Wednesday morning. Slowly clothes and things have been building up on the double bed in the spare bedroom. This is where we put our clothes and things prior to packing them into bags.

I am aiming to take some clothes with me which will stay down there. I have jeans and warm shirts I never wear here but take up valuable space in my suitcase each time I fly south to Melbourne. The clothes will 'live' in a bag which we will keep in the boot of the car down there so it doesn't take up any of Kate's cupboard space.

So the pool has had all its chemicals updated, the lawn has been mowed, the backyard will be tidied up and things prepared for when we are away. We have already booked a motel room in Gilgandra which is about half way to Melbourne. We should arrive at Kate's later in the afternoon on Thursday.

Our family has rented a house at Ocean Grove which is big enough to house all of us for the weekend. Trish and I will drive down about lunch time Friday and probably take James and Charli with us. The others will arrive after work on the Friday evening. We will have our Christmas Lunch and present giving there on Saturday before heading home Sunday. It should be fun!

Kim flies to India for 6 weeks mid next week so this will be our only time to be with her before she flies out.

It is another warm steamy day today with temps around 30 degrees. The pool water temp is close to that too. Our new Supermarket opened here on the estate today and it was awash with bargain hunters. It will be great for this area.

My next Blog entry will most likely come from Melbourne

Rain Again

Saturday proved to be the warmest day we have had this year with the low 30's being registered in the backyard. The pool was up to 29 degrees in the afternoon. Saturday was also the last day of Computer Club and they had a "Morning Tea" to finish the year off. Plenty of party food so it was a pleasant way to finish the year.

As most of you know we are in to watching stuff I have downloaded from the 'net'. I use a WD TV HD Media Player to connect a hard disk drive to the TV and works pretty well. I have had it for a few years now and I recently discovered they no longer provide 'updates' for my model. The price of the better and latest model (WD TV Live) has dropped substantially so I grabbed one the other day. It was about 40% off the price they were 6 months ago!

This model is being supported so there are firmware updates to keep up with the latest movie formats. However the biggest improvement I have noticed is its ability to play DTS music (Digital Theatre Sound). I can now get great sound from DTS music CD's I have downloaded. This model also allows me to access other computers and the internet via my home wireless network. I will need to buy a "USB Wireless Dongle" (see left) to do that though.

We farewelled our guest for the week (Rainy) late Saturday afternoon. Her plane was held up on the tarmac for an hour as heavy rain and thunderstorms hit the Sunshine Coast later in the afternoon. The rain gauge had another 80mls in it this morning and it has been raining steadily though not heavily all day.

I had a call from people yesterday needing computer help urgently. They had inadvertently downloaded a program (Security Shield) that told them computer was badly infected with viruses and trojans and they needed to register the program to get rid of them. It took a bit of doing and two visits but eventually I was able to get rid of it for them. Malwarebytes and System Restore did the trick.

A quiet day today watching One Day Cricket on TV.

It Is Time To Go

As many of you know we have been entertaining one of our very good friends "Rainy" from Melbourne all this week. On Thursday the ladies had considered they would travel into Brisbane for the day. However after a hectic week they decided to spend a leisurely day around the pool. The weather had turned on its Queensland's best and was lovely and warm. Reading and swimming were the order of the day.

On Thursday evening Trish and Rainy headed off to "Trivia", they were delighted when the won the night's competition.

So Friday was to be the day into Brisbane. The weather was even warmer getting to 30 degrees so again plans were 'reorganised'. Lunch was meant to be spent in Buderim at the Buderim Tavern. The lunch didn't eventuate but a drink or two did. However we enjoyed our "Beefy's" pies in a small park nearby. By the time we had gotten around to ordering lunch at the Tavern we were told there would be a 60 minute wait!

Back to house about mid afternoon meant there was time for a swim and a "Nanna Nap". Then at about 6 pm it was down the street for fish n' chips to eat beside the beach! It was extremely pleasant. Upon our arrival back at the house yet another swim was in order as this photo shows.

The day ended with a Nicole Kidman movie called "Rabbit Hole". The movie though enjoyable was a bit slow for us.

Today Rainy returns to Melbourne when her flight leaves early this evening. The girls have a shopping afternoon planned as they make their way to the Maroochydore Airport. Rainy is due back at her home in Drouin about 11 pm tonight!

Today the weather is due to return to being "wet" with rain and possible storms forecast for this afternoon. At least the warm weather the last couple of days has allowed me to get a couple of bike rides in. Yesterday I did a 15k+ bike ride!

Touring The Sunshine Coast

After a quiet relaxing Tuesday around the pool we decided to hit several of the tourist attractions around the Sunshine Coast during the afternoon and into the evening. First stop was the Ginger Factory in Yandina about 30k's from where we live. The Ginger Factory deals with all things 'ginger'. It has some tourist knick knack shops full of 'junk' to buy, little memorabilia stuff etc. However the tropical gardens there are beautiful as the photo to the left shows.

From there we went over the road to the Macadamia Nut Factory and enjoyed the 'free samples' available to all and sundry. The afternoon was getting on so the next stop was the small township of Eumundi, most noted for its twice weekly markets! Tuesday isn't a "Market Day' so the town was sleepy and quiet. We found an old pub and enjoyed a cool beer in ideal surroundings.

We were then on our way again to the lovely Coolum Beach which is probably the best surf beach here on the Sunshine Coast. There is a 'lookout' where this photo was taken looking to the south. The clouds in the sky were a indication of what was to come overnight! But it is a very pretty spot.

We weren't the only ones there taking snaps, this is quite a popular spot for visitors to the Sunshine Coast.

Back in the car again and we headed for Mooloolaba and the Surf Club there. The Mooloolaba beach is spectacular and one of the highlights of the Sunshine Coast. After a leisurely walk by the shops in Mooloolaba from where we had parked the car, the ladies enjoyed a bottle of "Champers" while I had a couple of beers in the ideal surroundings of the Mooloolaba Surf Club. It looks very pleasant don't you agree?

The final stop off was the "Spirit Of Tibet" restaurant for our tea. Trish and I reckon this is the best eatery here on the Sunshine Coast. I especially enjoy a very very hot chilly paste the guy makes. You need to use it sparingly as it is so hot but it is extremely tasty. Needless to say I usually finish up in a lather of sweat as this photo shows.

We arrived back home about 8:30 pm after a great afternoon out. Another 10mls of rain overnight but it looks to be a reasonable day for today. Trish has a Christmas Lunch on with some of the Stitchery ladies. Rainy and I will visit a few local spots around Caloundra until we are due to pick Trish up mid afternoon.

Some Sun At Last

It has been a little tough entertaining our visitor while the rain continues to tumble down outside. I tipped 40mls out of the rain gauge this morning, already we have had more than the total rain expected for December. Trish and Rainy did a tour of the main street of Caloundra on Monday between the showers. Then it was back home for drinks and nibblies.

But today the storm clouds have cleared and the sun is out. After all that rain it sure is humid. This photo was taken this morning and even though the temperature is a little cooler than it is right now the interesting figure is the 98% humidity! But the photo was taken at just after 7:30 am.

Right now the temperature in our small protected backyard is over 30 degrees and the humidity level is still around 80%. Usually we would expect the humidity level to be around 60%.

But it is warm enough to give the pool a good try out which is what Rainy is doing right now as I type. This photo shows her busy catching up on some reading! We are going to do some tourist things after lunch and head up towards Noosa and on the way home pop in to "Spirit Of Tibet" in Mooloolaba for dinner!

Our neighbours on both sides (both rentals) have now left or will officially move out in the next day or so. No one is currently living in either place. I don't know what is happening about new tenants but I will check that out in the next few days.

I bottled this morning and have another bottling to do later in the week. Despite wet weather yesterday I was able to get another lot of bottles washed and eventually dried. My supplies should now be fine for when we return from Melbourne. This time next week we will be driving down to Melbourne!

Thanks To The Internet

We haven't been using the dishwasher because we were getting an error message saying there was a problem with 'water flow'. We were considering it might be time to upgrade it as it was now over 8 years old. We had tried all the recommendations outlined in the Manual relating to 'water flow' problems. It would stop working about 5 minutes into the cycle and the sign "Pots" would flash.

I jumped onto the internet and typed in "Dishlex Global 300 flashing pots". Pots is a cycle available and the lit 'Pots" name was flashing. Google did its stuff and up came a page of weblinks. The first one I tried talked about removing a lower front panel. I would then find a small translucent sludge sump and when emptied, would solve the problem.

After several skinned knuckles I eventually removed the lower front panel, found the sump, and removed it. After the gunk was removed, the sump was put back into place, the knuckles received another scraping and the dishwasher was put back together and turned on! It worked. The dishwasher went through its cycle.

We did find a water leak, so again it was pulled apart and I found an "O" ring sitting in the base. The "O" ring was fitted and things put back together again. This morning was the 'acid test', we did a load of dishes. The cycle worked perfectly and there was no water under the dishwasher!

My knuckles should heal in a day or so.

Trish collected Rainy from Maroochydore Airport and she arrived here at home about 6 pm. So the first night was spent chatting and a few drinks. This morning they are at the Caloundra main street market.

It is overcast and about mid 20's. After the overnight rain it is extremely humid. So far we have had over 80" of rain this year with showers forecast all week. We usually have a little over 64" of rain annually.

I will continue to endure the cricket on TV but tomorrow is a bottle washing day after I made another brew yesterday. Supplies should be right now for when we return from Melbourne after Christmas.

Just Before I Head Off

It is Saturday morning and I am about to head off to Computer Club.

I managed to get John Logan safely to the airport and on the plane by 9:30 am Thursday. John only had 10kgs of 'carry-on' luggage and he was able to get return airfares from Melbourne to here for $133 return! He also used 'web check in' which enabled him to walk directly through to Security without having to line up first for his boarding pass.

After John being around for a few days I had to put another brew on as my supplies suffered a bit of a hit. I will even put another brew on in the next day or so to ensure plenty of supply upon my return from Melbourne in the New Year. We drive down there leaving here December 14th and should arrive there the next day.

After dropping John off I waited about 45 minutes and collected Trish as she flew in from Melbourne. She was greeted by rain when she arrived back here on the Sunshine Coast. And that is just about the story of the last few days, rain, rain, rain! And there is more forecast for today with a heavier downpour on the cards for tomorrow. I have tipped around 125 mls out of the gauge, 5" in the old scale. I had to buy a new rain gauge as the old one's plastic stand became brittle and shattered.

The pool is full to overflowing meaning I had to put more salt in it. I haven't had a daily bike ride now for about 2 weeks, I have been in Melbourne or it has been too wet!

Good friend Rainy Beechey arrives up from Melbourne this evening to spend a week with us. I hope she brings her wet weather gear!

Australia is behind the 8 ball in the cricket test match right now. However there isn't much to do as the weather is not conducive to being outside so I spend much of the time watching the game on TV. Thank heavens it isn't cold!

From The Sunshine Coast

John Logan, a friend of mine accompanied back home from Melbourne on the plane Monday morning. He had some business to attend to and, as his Mum lives here too, some family to catch up with. The plane was 3/4 full so we had a spare seat in our row of three.

Monday afternoon saw us unpack, get some shopping done and then enjoy a few drinks and a dip in the pool. The home brew went down very well as did the swim in the pool. After a wonderful evening meal of BBQ snags, mashed potato, peas and tomatoes we enjoyed a movie. Tuesday was the 'business day' and we had to get to the Gold Coast so that took much of the day. John then spent the night with his mum and we all went to a club for tea. It was a 'dry' day for me as I was the driver.

I put the car in for a service Wednesday morning and just picked it up half an hour ago. I will do the blog page then head off to collect John and we will enjoy cricket on Pay-TV this afternoon (as well as a few more more brews).

I managed to get another brew 'on' this morning and have also washed the bottles too. We have had rain overnight and several heavy showers this morning. The pool is again full.

Trish comes home tomorrow (Thurs) so my trip to the airport is to put John on a plane home and to collect my lovely wife.

Got the post finished before 12 pm Melbourne time just in time for Russell's daily read!