38 = Too Hot For Cricket

The forecast 38 degrees for day 3 of the Melbourne Test sent me to enjoying the day in front of the TV rather than into the MCG.  I was at day 2 and I am just about ready to head into what should be the final day, Day 4.

Boxing Day was spent with friends barry and Rainy down at Drouin.  John Logan and Sue were there also.

It was great all being back together as we have known each other for some time.  Bazz sorted a BBQ and we chatted and enjoyed a few drinks.  This bought beer isn't quite to my tatse so I switched pretty early in the day to red wine.

I was up quite early on Friday for Day 2 of the Test at the MCG.  I was at the ground before it was opened to the public and got myself a great spot just where I prefer to sit with a great view as the photo shows.

I enjoyed the day a lot despite Australia batting abysmally.

Malaysia Garden restaurant for an evening meal with Kate Arj and family on the way home was enjoyable too.

Hot weather forecast for Saturday kept me home but I am primed and ready into head to the MCG again today.

We fly home early tomorrow and will spend tonight with Kim in St Kilda. I will catch a tram from the cricket as there is a stop right outside her front door!

We expect to be back home on the Sunshine Coast by mid morning Monday!

Merry Christmas To All

It is late in the afternoon Christmas Day and I am not sure when I can post again.  I caught up with a mate yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) for a long chat and a couple of beers.  I do speak with him on the phone reasonably frequently so it wasn't quite like we were long lost friends.

Then Trish and I headed to Springvale again for a meal and to buy jars of Chilli and Satay sauce to take home.  I don't feel we chose as well as we could have for the meal.  There was little choice with just two of us to order for.

Then it was home to Berwick to watch Carols By Candlelight on TV.

Christmas Day got off to a surprisingly quiet and late start.  The present opening began around 7 am.  The major gift items for Charli and James were Ipods.

Left over pizza was had for breaky and garlic prawns and salmon for lunch.  We leave in around 45 minutes for Arj's brother's place and Christmas with his family.  For us it won't be a too late night as we have a trip to Drouin on tomorrow and we expect to be on the road fairly early for that.

That will be followed by 3 days at the Test match at the MCG before finishing up at Kim's place on Sunday prior to our flying home first thing Monday morning.  My first day at the cricket will be Day 2 of the match on Friday and I am aiming to catch the 7:16 am train from Berwick!

We also have to catch up with a meal at Malaysia Garden Restaurant as well.

It will be a busy time for us.

A Great Weekend For The Family

If we hadn't eaten enough already before our family weekend at Ocean Grove then we certainly have now!  It was a great weekend for all of us and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. For us Ocean Grove was a two hour drive through the city and then down the Geelong Rd to the Bellarine Peninsular.

The house we hired for the couple of days was great.  There were heaps of bedrooms, showers and toilets.  Each couple virtually had their own private shower.  There were two of most things, kitchens, TV rooms and fridges. The house was the best yet that we had used for this sort of Family Christmas get together for our whole family.  This house was also the most expensive!  There was a spa and a tennis court which was floodlit at night.

Trish and I arrived with James and Charli around 2pm on Friday.  We were met by the manager who showed us all the ropes, how to run the spa, the TV's the entertainment centres and ensured we knew where everything was.

The others began arriving an hour or so later. Everyone was present for tea and the BBQ was in full swing.  Chris' wife Wendy loves to cook and spend time in the kitchen.  She buys all the food, the ingredients and we all put in later on to cover costs.

I cooked the BBQ first night while Wendy prepared some treats and began to put out some of the salads she had prepared at home.

So we ate and drank.  And this seemed to be the practice for the rest of the weekend.

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Eggs and bacon were on the agenda for breakfast both days and our Christmas dinner was something to behold.

Cheesy cauliflower, potato bake, peas, onions, corn, pork, turkey and ham.  It was all covered with a delicious gravy.

In between times we went for walks, hit the spa, played with our new Christmas Gift toys, or enjoyed the tennis court.  The kids had a ball and many of the adults had too much to drink.

We were due to book 'out' at 10 am Sunday so from there all 12 of us headed to my brother's small home about 30 minutes away and kind of on our way to say hello.  Trish and I stayed there for the night while the others headed off to their homes.

It was great to catch up again.  We enjoyed a good chat and a few drinks.  The Fish n Chips we had for tea went down very well.  Trish and I slept the night in Geoff's new caravan where we slept very well.

For some parts of the weekend the weather wasn't too good but this didn't appear to impact on the enjoyment level of all. It was great to see many of the grownups and kids enjoying tennis under lights.  This ensured the kids slept well and that the adults got their thirst back again!

We arrived back at Kate's around midday on Monday ready for a well earned "AFD", an alcohol free day!

The Hoa Tran

After a wonderful day yesterday, the weather is turning into a stinking hot Melbourne Day today with quite a strong northerly wind blowing.  It is expected to get to 40 later on.  Kate has "Evaporative Cooling" installed so that will give some relief from the heat when at home.

Last night we ate at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Springvale, the Hoa Tran.

Our daughter Kim joined us along with good friends Eddie and Patsy.  The 5 of us ate for less than $90 all up.  One dish we had was a salt and pepper fresh flounder.  This was close to their most expensive dish on the menu.  It was sensational!  We also had a favorite Beef on Crispy Noodles which was great also.

What a great meal it was and so inexpensive.  Click on the photo (not the best quality I am afraid) for a larger view of our fish!

If you didn't know the restaurant was there you would never find it.  There used to be a large open car park in front of the restaurant, but that has now become a small shopping centre with pay car parking above it.  You can't see the restaurant from the main street anymore as it is now on a small back lane-way.  Despite its poor position it was line up and wait for a table to get in so good is the food.

Trish has a little grocery shopping to do this morning and then after a quick lunch we are off to catch up with friends Pat and Graeme.  I am guessing mobile phones will be on the discussion agenda.  Graeme bought a phone I recommended and has joined the great phone plan that both Trish and I are on. He is relatively new to the field of smart phones and is anxious to learn more.

This evening is our 'big' Christmas 'do' at a nearby Thai place followed by drinks, sweets and gifts at the Damon's home.  Both will be great fun, though the second gathering a little more 'alcoholic'.

Tomorrow morning just before lunch we will head off to Ocean Grove and our family Christmas get together!  We will be away for several days.  Again alcohol will be involved!

We Have Brought The Weather With Us!

We eventually arrived at our daughter's home in Melbourne's S/E suburbs around 10:30 pm Melbourne time on Tuesday.  The late flight meant the aircraft we were travelling on had completed numerous other trips during the day.  A 10 minute delay here and there added up to around a 40 minute delay in getting away from Maroochydore late in the afternoon.  This in turn meant a 35 minute delay for our arrival in Melbourne.

But we are here now.

Needless to say much of Tuesday was spent with final preparations at home and keeping an eye on the Test match from Perth.  We were driving to the Sunshine Coast Airport when Australia took the final wicket for a test series win.

We awoke this morning to the pitter patter of little feet as our grandchildren James and Charli awoke early to greet us.  Soon after they were all off to school which allowed Trish and me to get organised and off for last minute Christmas Shopping.  We had brought virtually no Christmas gifts with us so it was a frantic time at Fountain Gate, a huge nearby Shopping Centre.

But we have brought the glorious Sunshine Coast weather with us.  Right now it is mid 20's and a glorious blue sky.  Tomorrow Thursday promises one of those dreaded Melbourne summer days, a hot northerly wind at temps peaking around 40 degrees.

Tonight we head to Vietnamese food at Springvale with friends Eddie and Patsy.

Trish has a little shopping to complete Thursday morning but then after lunch we will hope to do a visit before the big night out Christmas gathering with several other very good friends.  Usually it is at a private home but this year it will be at a Thai Restaurant nearby before adjourning to a home for sweets, gifts and a few drinks.

The weather is expected to turn back to cool and wet for our family Christmas Weekend at Ocean Grove

Off We Go!

We will leave home around 3:30 our time this afternoon for our flight to Melbourne.  It leaves at 5:20 pm our time and arrives in Melbourne (if on time) before 9pm.  Not exactly as we had planned but it will be OK.  So the last few days have seen us preparing for the trip.  Cases are left open on the '2nd Bed' and every time we remember something one of us scurries off to fetch it in and pack it away.

Hopefully we will remember everything.  And hopefully Australia will take the last 5 wickets quickly before we are due to leave, win the third test in Perth and win back "The Ashes"!

It will be around 28 degrees here today, the pool had warmed to a lovely 29 degrees yesterday and was still 27 this morning after my 12.5k bike ride.  I see Melbourne is in for a stinker of 40 degrees on Thursday.  But it will be back to a wet and miserable 21 on Saturday when we are away with the all the family at Ocean Grove.

The new bike has had a couple of teething problems which are now dusted and sorted.  I have transferred my seat, my bike speedo, my carry box and handle bar grips from the Fuji over to the Fluid.  I took the new bike back to the shop yesterday as calipers were rubbing on the front disk.  It is hard enough to ride into the wind let alone having the front brake rubbing.

The bike seems a pretty good deal when you consider the money I paid for it.  I am not disappointed at all.

My next post will be from down in Melbourne.  The kids will all be at school Wednesday and Thursday.  Most likely Charli and James will come with us to Ocean Grove Friday around lunchtime.  Kate and Arj will be along later.  It should be a great time for all of us.

At this stage Trish and I will be popping in to see my brother Geoff and Jeannette on our way home Sunday.  They live about 30 minutes away from Ocean Grove.  There is a good chance we will spend the night there before returning to Berwick on Monday.

I Bought A Bike

I reckon I do around 60k's per week on my bike and for the sake of this post let us say I ride for a full 45 weeks each year.  I have had my current "Fuji" bike for almost three years now so I have probably ridden it for at least 7,000 kilometres, most likely a lot more.  Like all things the bike will begin to wear out.  The crank assembly wears, the brake wires and gear wires begin to stretch and it could be that one's safety is put at risk.  The chain 'stretches' and can make changing gears difficult or the chain could just slip!

I have been keeping my eyes open for a replacement bike and naturally I was looking something 'on special'.  I had previously purchased from Goldcross Cycles which is an Australia wide bike shop chain.  Recently Goldcross had merged with Amart Sports.  The range of bikes to check out at our local Amart Sports shop has fallen since the merger with fewer bikes available and fewer good deals.

Our local Anaconda store had one of their 'base' brand bikes on special.  The advert said it was $599 knocked down to $299 for Christmas.  It had all the features I wanted as well as 'disk' brakes.  For me this was a deal clincher as the ability to stop quickly is imperative for me.  The make of bike is "Fluid" which has mixed reviews.  I read where some people use their Fluid bikes in triathlons so that was good enough for me.

I picked it up yesterday (Friday) and spent parts of the day, mainly during breaks in the third Test from Perth, setting it up.

The seat on the Fuji bike is called ' a comfort seat' so that has been moved over to the new bike.  The carry box I have on the back for various bits and pieces required modification to fit properly on the new bike so that was done as well.  Then there was the bike speedometer to move over.

It is imperative to have a good bell on the bike especially when riding on shared footpaths.  The original bell on the new bike is a 'flick' style and they just don't work properly!

Eventually I was able to replace the bell as well.  The handle bars on the Fluid bike are quite chubby and thick as the photo above shows if you click on it for a larger view.  This made fitting the bell and the 'speedo' difficult as both had been designed for a standard diameter handlebar.  But we got there eventually.

Our week has been busy finalizing things prior to heading to Melbourne on Tuesday of next week.  Over the next few days I will pack some things away in the backyard for our trip down south.  The Waeco needs to come inside, the pool filter needs to be cleaned, the front lawn mowed and other things 'stored away' in case of a storm.

Trish had her final "Stitchers" day on Wednesday with a special Christmas Lunch.  Trish had a minor procedure on Thursday and wasn't feeling up to "Quilters" on Friday.  Computer Club finishes up for the year today for me. So 2013 is slowly but surely coming to a close.

My final 'brew' for 2013 was bottled yesterday.  My supplies for 2014 are now all well in hand.

I have gained a couple of Balcony Passes for Day 4 of the Melbourne Test.  Eddie has expressed an interest in going so that means one has been spoken for!

8 More Sleeps To Go

We leave for Melbourne by air in a little over one week.  Though after a couple of phone calls to Melbourne today I am not sure I am looking forward to the weather down there.  Today has been very wet in that part of the world today so the feedback says.

The 2nd Test match in Adelaide is over and Australia leads the series against England by two tests to nil.  I don't think anyone would have predicted that scoreline before the series commenced but the Australians have come out with all guns blazing and have easily won the first two games.

I would have to ensure all my daily jobs were done by 10 am our time here so I was ready to sit in front of the TV for the commencement of the day's play.

That would mean an early start to my ride, then a swim and finally get any jobs completed and be out of the shower ready to watch the day's play.

I did all this yesterday (Sunday) and even managed to get my final brew for 2013 on.  It is bubbling away quietly in the garage as I type.  As play at the cricket finished by midday our time today I had time to wash the bottles and they are just about dry around 4pm on Monday.

Our deal with Pay TV provider Foxtel with a $20 per month discount ended a few weeks ago.  I rang them today and was able to negotiate a new deal for the next 6 months.  Without too much hassle we now get a $25 per month discount, which though still not cheap, makes having Pay TV attractive for us.

With the cricket on TV I wasn't at Computer Club too long on Saturday.  On Friday we headed to the Curry Bowl with a mate from Computer Club and his partner.  The food was OK and the company excellent.  We really had a good time.

We didn't get to Friday drinks. Kerrie and Ian are away for two weeks and the Lehmann's had family commitments with Xmas not too far away. So we went out for tea instead!

Most days are sunny and high 20's.  Two words describe the weather, absolutely and magnificent. We could do with a drop of rain and there is some indication showers and storms are on their way later in the week.

Another "Melbourne" Day

We are experiencing a day with strong N/W winds just like we used to have on those terrible stinking hot summer days back in Melbourne.  The wind here today is hot and we are experiencing a day with the house all locked up and blinds drawn.  The air con may get a run later on.  It makes the solar energy we put on during winter a great deal.

It is also a 'cricket' day with the Test match cricket from Adelaide live on TV and I may add NZ Vs West Indies on Pay TV as well!  I did spend a little time yesterday watching the match from New Zealand!

I finished up Tuesday afternoon by bottling my latest brew.  It sure took the pressure off Wednesday as I was able to spend a fair bit of time sorting out Community Association business prior to switching the telly on for the cricket.

I had few episodes of various TV series and Movies to download as well. I managed a copy of "Prisoners", the latest Hugh Jackman movie.  It gets 8.1 on IMDB which ranks it in the top 250 movies!  I didn't think it was that good but was quite enjoyable (if a little slow) to watch.

Yesterday's bike ride saw me down to the beach again.

We certainly live in a pretty spot with places like this so close by.  Both yesterday and today I got in my 12+k bike rides followed by a swim in the pool.  Even yesterday afternoon saw me hop back into the pool again and relax for the best part of half an hour.

Click on either photo for a larger view.

We have had our shelter in the backyard now for several months. It is most likely one of our very best additions to our home.  Our backyard is small and enclosed.  This has meant that it gets very warm out there indeed.  The new shelter has made a huge difference to these temperatures.  Being so high it not only keeps the beating sun off, but it allows heaps of room for the breeze to circulate ensuring it is extremely pleasant.

Hopefully it will still be warmish to sit out side in winter.  It should be as the sun is lower in the sky and will still shine in under the shelter because of its height.

The rain delay for the cricket in Adelaide is just about over so I am back to the TV!

Quiet On The Sunshine Coast

It continues quiet in this part of the world.  Apart from bottle washing, bike riding and stuff for the Community Association it is the same old story!

I frequently get asked where do I get my movies and TV shows from and how much does it cost.  So I quickly set up this website. (Click HERE)  I also added a link to the right of this blog page as:
08 Downloading TV & Movies Free.  I created the web page as  free Google website.  The ability to create free websites is available to everyone through any and every GMail account.

So if you have a GMail email address, you can open your GMail Account settings up and under the Sub-Heading "Dashboard" you have access to heaps of Google services, including creating a free website!

Our mobile phone service became crappy yesterday until we discovered Telstra was carrying out maintenance on some of our nearby towers.  For a while there we were scooting outside every time the mobile phone rang.  By 4:30pm normality had been resumed!

We finished watching Series 4 of Boardwalk Empire on Sunday night.  This is a great story, set in the USA during the depression.  There are gangland feuds, bootleg whiskey and plenty of action.

Our days remain in the high 20's and generally sunny.  We have had a coolish S/E breeze most days keeping the temps under 30 degrees. The pool was 23.5 this morning.  It usually gets to around 26 or so late afternoon with a day's sunshine on it.

Friends Ian and Kerrie have headed south to Sydney for a cruise they booked months ago so we won't see them until New Year.

We fly to Melbourne in a fortnight and we are beginning to get our heads around that trip and booking dates into our calendar.  Kate and Arj's car blew a head gasket so our Telstar (our Melbourne car) has been forced into action.  They have decided to repair their X-Trail so hopefully all will be in place for when we get down that way and we get our car back.

We head down to Ocean Grove with the family on Friday December 20th for 2 nights.  This should be heaps of fun. This is our family's major Christmas function.

A good suggestion has been to spend a couple of nights with my brother and his wife at Indented Head.  This is on the way back to Kate's from Ocean Grove.  We also expect to spend a couple of nights with Kim in St Kilda as well. And we have the traditional Boxing Day down at Drouin with friends Barry and Rainy.

I am hoping to get to several days of the Test match at the MCG.  We then fly home on Dec 30th which is a little earlier than usual.

Kate is celebrating her 40th birthday late January so we will be returning to Melbourne around mid January.  This will also enable Trish to get to a couple of days at the Australian Tennis Open Championships. We expect to get back here around January 21st.

Unheard Of!

Yesterday it was 33 degrees and an hour or so was spent idly in the pool with cool drinks in hand.  Right now it is around 19 degrees, the track suit trousers and 'hoodies' have come out again to keep warm.  On top of that we have had almost an 'inch' of rain.  It really does make us think we are back in Melbourne.  Temperature fluctuations like this just don't occur here in SE Queensland.

When I recently purchased my new modem/router there was a special offer going as well.  If you applied you would also receive a free 'wireless adapter' valued at around $40.  My free wireless adapter arrived yesterday. 

A wireless adapter when plugged into a USB port on my PC then makes it 'wireless'.  That is I don't have to have the blue ethernet cable attached to get on the internet.

It works very well.

Drinks were great yesterday afternoon, but not so great today.  Not moving at quite 100% right now but I have been heaps worse.  Just feeling slightly 'off'.

With the rain today Computer Club was a lot quieter with many not attempting the bad weather.

It's Bubbling Again!

The weather over the next day or so will remind us of our time in Melbourne.  We expect a hot 33 today with a blustery northerly.  And then there is to be a southerly change overnight with rain and a much cooler 24 tomorrow.  This is a mammoth fluctuation in max temperatures for this part of the world.

Along with the southerly change we have been told to get ready for rain as well!

I just couldn't help myself with this photo I took this morning on my bike ride.  I get out a little earlier nowadays and it is just magnificent riding along pathways such as the one in the photo.  I managed my 12.5 bike ride and my swim all over by around 8:15 this morning.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

As the title suggests, the brew I put on yesterday is bubbling away perfectly.  I was a little apprehensive as the brew was a "Black Ale" and I was using "Dark Brown Sugar", a combination which usually commences the brewing process a lot more slowly than a standard ale and white sugar.  The standard recipe can be bubbling in a matter of hours while a black can be 6 or 8 hours before any action commences in the air-lock.

Friday Drinks will be here again because of the hot weather.  The pool is a good spot to sit and enjoy a convivial or two.  Ian and Kerrie are popping over.  John has a former colleague's retirement function to get to.

The pavers in the backyard weren't a good buy as a pool surround.  We weren't given the full information on how to look after them.  The salt water and sun's UV will try most surfaces in this part of Australia.  The 'top' is wearing off many of the pavers exposing the aggregate in the concrete.  This is something we notice but is something we need to point out to visitors if ever a comment is made.

Ideally we should have been sealing them every couple of years. When they were first laid we were advised that sealing them was up to us and not a prerequisite for their ongoing maintenance.

Around the corner a guy is having a couple of his concrete areas treated with "covercrete'.  This adds a new surface and coloring to the concrete.

It does require being sealed every couple of years but this is straight forward with the right product and equipment and can be done in under an hour.

The guy doing the covercrete job popped around and had a look at our job.  He suggested not re-doing the paver area under the patio where everything is fine. He said that if I really wanted the job done he recommended to do all the areas around the pool.

Except for the pool edging, we would lose the 'paver' look.  This photo may give an idea of the outcome.  He would 'mark out' the paver outlines around the pool with a stencil to retain that paver look.  He quoted around $1500 to do the job.

We aren't in a hurry to do anything just now so we will think about it as a possible task for 2014.

Busy Times

We have both been quite busy the last few days.  I enjoyed the cricket right up to the final ball on Sunday night.  It seems so long since last Australia won a test match.

On Monday I bottled my beer.  The lid had failed to seal properly but that shouldn't make any difference to the brew itself.  You add a decanting apparatus to the tap and usually remove the air lock so air can take the place as the newly brewed beer pours out into the bottle.  I decided to leave the air lock in place while I filled the first bottle.  Usually you would expect to see a mass of bubbles in the air lock as air is forced in to take the place of the poured out beer.

The water in the air lock did not budge.  The leak was so bad air rushed in where the lid had failed to seal.  When you looked closely at the lid it could be seen as on a bit of a tilt.  It appears the neck of the barrel would warp as you tightened the screw on lid and therefore not seal.

Trish is bringing home a new barrel this afternoon and the old one has found its way to the recycling bin!  The tap, pourer and airlock are all new so will go with the new barrel.  The home brew guy is throwing in a 'strip thermometre' for me.

Much of Tuesday was spent setting up media players for friends.  I have loaned one to a friend to see if it was what he wanted.  Another guy bought one so I set it up for him yesterday as well.  I added a new theme to it and made sure it updated OK.  Both are very happy with the outcome.

My new watch from China arrived today.  It cost me a full $16 but is perfect for around the outdoors and in the garden.  It is pretty huge in size so I won't lose it.  Like several things from overseas, the instruction book left a bit to be desired.  But 15 minutes or so of tinkering had it up and running!

You do wonder how long it will last though!  But then the watch I wear when I am bike riding was purchased in Bali 20 years ago and hasn't skipped a beat!  So you just never know.

We have been enjoying a TV Series called "The Big C", the title meaning cancer.  The lead character is in her early 40's and has been diagnosed with cancer.  You don't need to be a Rhodes Scholar to work out how the series ends. We both loved the series very much but last night was sat down to watch the final 2 one hour episodes.  It was sad but extremely enjoyable.

Tonight we may start on the latest series of "Boardwalk Empire".  We shall see what Nucky Thompson is up to in this series.  I seem to recall he was getting mixed up with Al Capone at the end of Series 3!

Trish is at Stitchers today and is due home (with the new barrel) shortly.  I will most likely put a brew on either Thursday or Friday!  I think it will be Thursday as then it can be bottled next Wednesday before the 2nd Test gets underway on Thursday!

To Computer Club

It will be a shortened trip to Computer Club this morning.  The cricket on TV is just too much of an attraction to spend time away.

The weather continues OK but today is quite overcast.  High 20's is expected and the possibility of showers which is another reason to get home and enjoy the TV and the cricket in case the weather intervenes.

I rode yesterday as per usual and found the pool really great when I arrived back home.

We were one member down for drinks Friday afternoon (which we hosted at our place) with Ian's wife Kerrie grabbing a cheap ticket to Sydney for a friend's birthday party.  Retired school principal John and his wife Marg are regular drinks attenders as well.

John has just completed a week's work at a school nearby.  He is well known in this area and people know the sort of work he prefers.  His week was spent 'covering' classes while teachers caught up with paper work. Not bad at $300+ per day!

John and his wife Marg arrived closer to 4pm than 3 but made up for his late arrival with a late departure, probably around 9pm.  It was extremely pleasant sitting beneath the shelter after the sun went down in our backyard while the temp remained around the mid 20's.

The new solar light under the shelter got a good try out and proved to be 100% effective.

The home made Sambucca and Bourbon were a major hit later in the evening!

Meanwhile Ian wasn't operating all that well so he had departed early.

I will most likely enjoy a couple of ales later in the day but I seem to suspect it won't be too many.  Last night was a lot of fun though!

A mate Russ has suggested I try a little silicone around the lid of the home brew container and the air lock grommet to ensure a better seal.  I will give that a go for my next brew and see if it solves my problem.  The current brew should be ready to bottle on Monday.

Before The Cricket Gets Underway!

My brew eventually was 'put on' early Tuesday.  Again the vessel has failed to seal properly.  I have replaced the lid seal and the grommet which goes around the air lock but still the vessel won't seal totally.  I even gave the brew a stir to ensure it was 'working'.  Within a matter of seconds I had froth everywhere.

It won't make any difference to the brew itself, it just means I am unable to easily monitor how the brewing process is going.  I have to use the hydrometer.  It seems things should be ready to bottle on Monday.

I bottle washed yesterday so that part of the process is over as well.

I missed my bike ride on Wednesday.  As I was wheeling the bike out along the sideway I noticed a white patch on the tyre.  It turned out it was thread from the tyre's lining.  There was therefore very little between having a puncture or not.

Trish bought me a new tyre later that afternoon and I fitted it ready for Thursday's ride.

We were told about a spot in Caloundra which had Happy Hour from 4 pm followed by a $10 Parmigiana.

It sounded a good idea so we rang Kerrie and Ian who joined us and we headed off late Wednesday afternoon.  A schooner of beer and a glass of wine were $4 each.  It was delightful enjoying our drinks right beside Pumicestone Passage as the photo shows.

On our table was a pamphlet advertising the $10 dinner special.

After some time Ian and I headed up to order our $10 Parmagianas.  There was another menu which had the meal at $15 with a glass of cider.  We ordered 4 meals and were told that will be $60!  We were told the adverts on our table were out of date (despite having Nov written across them) and the meal was now $15.  We cancelled our order and told the 'manager' that what he had done was illegal as the meal was openly advertised at $10 and that we would be leaving and not coming back.

The manager re-considered his position and eventually came over to our table.  He apologized and we were given our meals at no charge!  It was a sizable serve so we enjoyed our free meal.

After a couple of drinks back at Ian's we eventually headed home around 9pm.  We sat outside for half an hour or so and enjoyed our backyard and the warm night air.  We have a fair few Christmas lights around the place so it was just delightful sitting outside.

My bike ride this morning was completed despite me not moving at 100%.  The swim afterwards was sensational. 

We should get to 30 or so today so I should slip another swim in later on during a break in the cricket.

And Then There Was Rain!

At long last we have experienced a good long fall of steady rain.  It began slowly around 5pm last night and continued on and off overnight.  This morning there were 35mls in the gauge following on from 6mls the night before.  We expect things to rapidly green up, especially our bare front lawn. 

We only got the edge of the severe storms Maroochydore had late Saturday afternoon.  They had hail the size of oranges smashing car windows and causing both damage to property and injury to people.  Reports of a major traffic jam around the major Maroochydore shopping centre appeared as motorists sought refuge in the underground carpark!

As the photo shows the pool is now at its upper limit.  I even turned the water harvesting off around 6pm last night.  After such a prolonged dry spell the roof and atmosphere were both full of dust and this dust ends up in my pool.  I gave the pool a good vacuum after my bike ride on Sunday morning and followed up with needing to flush out the filter.

The water from the flushing out was red with dust.  You would almost call it 'top dressing the front lawn' there was so much to be cleaned out.

The pool needed yet another vacuum this morning after the lengthy overnight rain.  The dust is a red color indicating it has been 'up there' for quite a while and blown in from areas in the west of Queensland.  I gave the filter a second clean in two days this morning.  With so much rain, many of the pathways I ride along most mornings would be covered with seepage so I didn't bother this morning.

However I still jumped in the pool for a swim with the water temp between 23 and 24. 

The rain and dark clouds have now cleared and we have clear blue skies with a very hot sun beating down.  But with this lovely warm weather and after 35mls of rain you can only guess what the humidity level is like.

I went to put a brew on Saturday afternoon but found the package of hops was missing.  Usually it is fixed under the plastic lid of the home brew can.  I removed the lid and discovered the pack was missing.  Trish is into Caloundra this afternoon so I will head in with her and make my way to the brew shop and see what he says.  This means I will most likely put the brew on tomorrow and probably bottle it either Sunday or next Monday.

I will bottle wash on Wednesday, before the Test match begins live on TV on Thursday!

Last night we finished watching Series 2 of "The Newsroom".  As with the first series, the first two or three episodes are confusing and require some patience to persevere with.  But after that it improves greatly.  We were into the final half hour of the last episode when the credits suddenly appeared on the screen.  Despite scrolling through the credits, the audio still played.  There had been a fault in the video!

Onto the laptop I went, into one of my preferred websites and I saw another copy of the final episode, this time with "Repacked" in the title.  This usually indicates there was a problem with the original file but it has been done again and the fault has been fixed.  I downloaded the repacked file and we eventually watched it and the end of the series.

While it was downloading we watched an episode of a TV series caused "Breathless".  It isn't in the same class as The Newsroom but is set in a London hospital for women during the early 60's.  This was a time of illegal abortions and the introduction of The Pill".  We have another 4 episodes to go and will most likely watch those tonight.

Using Google

I jumped on the internet to Google "water falling from sky".  Turns out it is called "rain".  It is as black as outside and it is trying very very hard to rain with a little success.  We have had rain on and off for almost an hour now and have around 6mls in the gauge.

Despite being a small amount in total, it has been enough to give the pool a bit of a top up.  We could do with some more but even 6 or so mls is enough to give the pool a good drink.

But the lawns and gardens will appreciate it the most.

I was doing a presentation at Computer Club this morning on cheaper android phones and Telechoice phone plans.  I mentioned it in the post for Monday.  Our regular computer 'Guru' would be away and I was asked to do something.  I decided to do it as a website which I threw together out of Google Sites.

I was all prepared and ready to go when we discovered we were having problems with the club's internet connection.  As the website was on the net I was doomed for my presentation.  That was until we set up a temporary internet connection via the "tethering' facility on my android phone.  It was a great practical demonstration of how a 'cheap' phone can still be used to get a laptop onto the net in an emergency.

You can check the presentation out HERE.

The whole thing seemed to go down pretty well.  Especially when a 2 yr plan and phone on Optus was around 1440 over 2 years where a cheaper phone and $480 over two years (Total $580) on the Telstra network was available as well. That is a good saving in anyone's language.

The guy who makes his own alcohol which then can become whisky, rum or whatever presented me with another 1.125 litres this morning.  My supply of "bourbon" is now filled up again!  I am copying some TV series over for him as I type.

Yesterday I was a member of a delegation which had a meeting with our local MP.  It was over issues affecting the Community association.  He is going to do some investigations for us on concerns we have with overhead helicopter circuits.  It seemed to go well.

The number of empty home brew bottles I had this morning was good evidence that Friday drinks last night was extremely pleasant!

Trying To Rain!

For all of this week we have had a forecast for possible storms.  These storms are occurring inland and then making their way to the coast, but they never make it this far.  We are being told that we have a better chance of getting some rain later today but we should be well and truly in for some wet weather tomorrow.

Up until this stage we have only enjoyed 1ml overnight Sunday because the storms just can't reach the coast before petering out!

Today is steamy again with some ominous looking clouds.  In our little backyard it is in the low 30's but extremely pleasant under the new shelter.  As the shelter is so high we are able to enjoy plenty of circulating breezes underneath.

The pool was a gorgeous 25 degrees this morning when I had my swim after a my morning 12.5k bike ride.

So what have we been up to?

Very little really.  Trish has been a little busy around the home after a weekend involved with the Arts Centre Fair.  She got the sewing machine out yesterday and made this cover for the Waeco out of a soft vinyl.

It will give some protection to the portable refrigerator if and when there is a storm and we can't get the Waeco inside.

The new modem/router has a facility where you can add a hard disk drive to it which can be accessed for other computers on our wireless network.

As the modem/router stays on 24/7 it means this drive can be accessed at any time from any computer on the network.  It is a 350GB drive I resurrected from my cupboard full of old bits and pieces.

I have set the hard disk drive up so when I back up my computer's major files (documents, photos, settings, profiles etc) they can be backed up onto this drive.  I have done the same thing with Trish's laptop backups, everything from either computer's major files can now be backed up onto this drive.

It isn't the quickest backup but it does get the job done and everything is backed up to the one place.  As you can see from the sticker it is nominated as T Drive.  I have other backup drives where I keep all my movies and TV Shows.  I have other drives which store all my 'programs' I have downloaded 'just in case'.

All in all I have 5 drives with back ups on them.  I actually have 2 backups of everything.  Some backups are on portable drives so the can be taken away easily.  This is especially handy when we visit friends and want to swap movies or for when we travel to Melbourne.

On top of this we another two portable hard drives attached to either media player as well!

I was sorely tempted to buy another 1.5TB portable drive recently advertised on special at Dick Smith's for $102.  I managed to resist!

1 Severe Thunderstorm = 1ml of Rain!

It was all puff and whistle when we were told of an upcoming storm last night.  Here we were sitting watching the golfers go off 160k's south of us because of approaching thunderstorms.

The skies above us were getting blacker and blacker, there was some distant thunder and then down it comes, a trickle at first then turning into another trickle!  And that was it.

We must have received another overnight sprinkle as there was 1ml in gauge this morning and dirt in the pool's skimmer box where the hose from the water harvesting connector empties!

I have been on the bike the last couple of days doing my 12 or so k's and Trish spent all yesterday at the Craft Association Fair.  Though there are no concrete totals just yet the feeling is the Fair was a very successful fund raiser!

Computer Club was all busy again on Saturday and I think I was able to help a few out.

I am doing a presentation next week at Computer Club as the key speaker and President may not be able to attend.  I am first cab off the rank and I am doing a bit on Mobile phones, Phone Plans and Google accounts.

My teaching experience is that you must be solidly prepared to do anything in front of an audience.  So I use the free website facility available through Google Accounts to create a quick website.  I have put the key points of what I want to say onto the website so all I need to do next Saturday is visit the website and there is my presentation all ready to go!

You can check it out HERE.

Another freebie available through your Google Account is online documents.  I have copy/pasted the whole presentation into a Google online document.

Afterwards people who wish to revisit what I have said need only follow the link to the document and then easily print it off!

You automatically get a Google Account when you create a GMail address.  Go to Google, in the search type Google Account, and login when asked.  Go to "Dashboard" and then you will find everything you need.

You also need to associate your phone with your Google account.  When this is done you can then save all your phone contacts into your Google contacts. Even "Blogger" where I do this blog is now a part of my Google account.

It is cloudy outside right now (mid afternoon) and again we are being told to prepare for rain.  If only ....

End Of The Week

Here we are at the end of the week and the sun has returned to the skies.  The weather has been mild and a breezy 28 or so each day with a little hotter expected today.

After Trish returned home from Stitchers on Wednesday I hopped in the car and headed off to collect the repaired Waeco and the new modem router.

I had ordered the modem/router online from a large Brisbane based Computer Store called Umart.  They have a kind of 'sub-branch' here around 15k's away from Caloundra near Maroochydore.  So you purchase online one day and usually your item is available to collect from their nearby store the next day.

I awoke very early on Thursday wondering how setting up the new modem/router up would go.  I want different devices to be able to 'speak' with each other so I had to ensure all the settings were spot on.

There were a couple of hiccups but after an hour or so my PC, Trish's laptop, our two mobile phones, the printer, our TV and my internet radio were all connected and online again.

Each time any device connects to the network it is given a number by the modem/router.  Sometimes this can be a hassle because, depending on when a device is turned on and subsequently connects to the network, has an effect on what number it may be given.  So if I wish to transfer a movie from my PC to the hard disk drive (HDD) attached to the media player it is handy if the particular HDD always has the same number.

I can just press a button on the keyboard and the HDD attached to the media player 'opens' on my screen.  Then it is just a matter of drag and drop and the movie gets copied across.  Setting a permanent number took a little bit of figuring but all is perfect now. The biggest difference I have noticed is just how much quicker it is to transfer movie files wirelessly across the house.  The new modem/router has Wireless 'n' which is quicker than 'b' or 'g'.

The Waeco is back and in full operation.  It took a long time for the repair to happen but all is well that ends well.  The Waeco now lives just outside the back door.  I bought a stand for it as well so it now sits well off the ground.  This is safer for it in case of wet weather and it sure makes opening and closing a lot easier as well.

I will get the stand 'for Christmas'.  Somewhere along the line I will get a Christmas Gift voucher for $50 which will I will then pass on to Trish.  Trish is going to sew up a waterproof cover for the top of the Waeco, just in case of a sudden nasty storm.

My back feels a heap better but I do need to be careful with what I do.  That is easier said than done.  And we have a new curtain in the main bedroom.  10 years of Queensland sun meant the former curtain was looking a little 'tired'.

We had our weekly drinks session last night as one of the group had a commitment Friday.  It was the first time all 6 of us had been together for quite a while so it was good.

Ian and Kerrie have a daughter in her 30's who struggles from time to time.  She finds it difficult to keep a job and at times, can be quite a handful.  She receives support from the government.  She lives with Kerrie and Ian.  So despite being retired, they always have another body around the house.  They have been looking for something bigger with pretty much an area where the daughter can live.

It appears they may have found something larger to live in which could suit their needs so they are making plans to purchase.  The say they will rent it out and stay in their current home until later 2014.  It is hoped with property again beginning to move in this area they have purchased their new home at a lower end of the cycle and they could be able to sell their current home as things further improve.

They will eventually be around 6k's away which creates a hassle for our regular Friday night's.  They are keen to keep these social nights going but we will see.

I didn't ride yesterday because I was setting up the modem/router but I did get around 13k's in on my bike this morning.  With recent cooler overnights, the pool wasn't too bad this morning at around 23º.

A New Modem/Router

My internet modem/router has recently begun to shut itself down and restart again every few days.  Though not a real problem right now I see it as the beginning of the end for it.  You might be halfway through something when it all stops, there is no internet and all the lights on the modem have gone out.  A minute later all is fine again and you can complete your task.

My current modem/router has Voip which we no longer use as our phone plans are so generous.

A replacement Voip enabled modem/router will set me back around $180.  I am going for a TP-Link TD-W8980 which will cost me under $110.  From checking the internet it seems it is pretty nifty and cheaper unit.  It seems to get great reviews from all over.  It comes with all the bells and whistles and is wireless "N".

This means not only greater wireless range but much quicker wireless speeds.  So I should now be able to copy over a movie from my PC to a hard drive attached to the media player in half the time.

Increased range will be good too.  Right now the wireless reception for my Kogan Internet Radio is just one or two bars.  It should be interesting to see what it is when I pick the new modem/router up tomorrow.

I will fetch it when I get the Waeco fridge which is also ready for me to collect.

We had our final Community Association Meeting last night.  Previously attendances had been quite down but last night we had in excess of 50 people there.  It was excellent.  The speakers were high profile and interesting.  It made being involved with the group all that much better.

We have had strong winds and a few showers overnight.  With all the stuff in the air last night and with the strong wind and rain the pool is full of dust again.  It is still windy today so I will vacuum the pool tomorrow. Today we would have been lucky to get to 24 degrees.  With a shower early this morning I didn't manage a bike ride either.

Warmer sunny weather should return tomorrow and carry on for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

It's A Very Warm Sunday

We didn't even get into town for a meal on Thursday.  Instead we opted for a few home brews and a couple of serves of noodles from the Noodle Shop in Golden Beach.  It was an excellent choice!

There weren't drinks on Friday as friends Ian and Kerrie had people up from Sydney for the week.  It was to be their last night so they planned to head out for a final meal together.  It didn't make much difference to us, we sat out back and enjoyed a few drinks on our own!

Trish had a busy day with Quilters in the morning on Friday and then a big 'grocery shop' that afternoon.  I meddled around at home just doing stuff.

Computer Club was on again for me Saturday.  The photo shows a couple of the ladies I help.  Both ladies in the photo go to Trish's Stitchers Group on a Wednesday.  Ruby recently turned 90 and enjoys her PC, her laptop and her 7" tablet. 

I helped her with taking photos and then processing them on her tablet.  Ruby would be easily the youngest 90 year old I know, she is as bright as a button and has a keen sense of humour.  I also set up a home wireless network for her earlier this year.

Another lady had her Windows 8 laptop not do an update for 8 months.  She would get an error and no Windows updates would be downloaded and installed.  I got onto Google and tried a couple of things all unsuccessfully.  I deleted bits and turned off services and then turned them back on again all without luck.

We tried a "Safe Mode" startup unsuccessfully but when the computer started up as normal, a screen popped up saying there were 72 updates available to her.  I don't know what we did but it eventually downloaded and updated well over 1GB of updates.  She was pleased it all worked. Neither of us know how we fixed it!

I mowed the lawn on Saturday afternoon.  I didn't take much grass off but I managed to relocate a couple of bucket loads of dust from the front to all over the place!  It did tidy up all the leaves around the front lawn and it certainly looks a lot neater now than before.  With the dry weather, the gum trees are stressed and dropping lots of leaves.  The swim in the pool afterwards was great!  It got rid of the dust from all over me and cooled me off.

With a very warm day promised today (31º) the pool will be a popular spot later.

Two Irish Deer Hunters In NZ!

Two Irishmen flew to NZ on a hunting trip.

They chartered a small plane to take them into the bush for a week hunting deer.

They managed to bag 6. As they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could take only 4 deer.

The two lads objected strongly. “Last year we shot six. The pilot let us take them all and he had the same plane as yours.”

Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded. The plane took off.

However, while attempting to cross some mountains even on full power the little plane couldn’t handle the load and went down.

Somehow, surrounded by the deer bodies, only Paddy and Mick survived the crash.

After climbing out of the wreckage, Paddy asked Mick, “Any idea where we are?”

Mick replied, “I think we’re pretty close to where we crashed last year.”

Waeco Still A Couple Of Days Away

I expected to get my Waeco Fridge back today but I had a call this morning saying they weren't happy with the repair.  They need to glue a sensor into place so the thermostat can accurately turn the fridge on and off to maintain a preset temperature.

Seems the gluing didn't work as well as expected so it is to be pulled apart again and reset with glue to obtain a more accurate reading.

We actually got another couple of mls of rain last night.  The atmosphere has been that dry that the pool was again full of dust this morning most likely dust brought down with the rain showers.

Again it is the same old news, not a lot happening but always something to do.  For example the car was washed this afternoon and though not a hot day I managed to get a sweat up.  No problems, duck into the togs and relax in the pool afterwards for 15 minutes.

With cooler weather the pool isn't warming up that much, however even a couple of mls overnight is enough to just top the pool up that little bit.

We look like heading into town tonight and giving the Caloundra Bowls Club "Club Central" a try just for a change.  Nice and easy, laid back and quiet.

We will most likely regret it but we live in hope of getting a good pub meal locally!  If you don't give it a try you will never know!

Back Not Better But All Sorted

My back is still sore most mornings and slowly improves as the day progresses.  Or until the Osteo-Eze wears off.  I could take some more tablets but I don't bother.  My GP sent me for an X-Ray last week and caught up with me yesterday to discuss what was wrong.

It appears I have given one of the muscles in my back a small tear.  This explains why the Chiro told me that my back was pretty OK!  So I just have to take it easy until it repairs.  There is heaps of scar tissue there so the doctor says I could expect continuous small tears there.

And at long last we had some rain last night.  Not the wild thunderstorms the Bureau had predicted but rather continuous rain for over 2 hours. In total we got a little over 1/2 an inch.  You wouldn't know we had any rain at all as everything outside just looks dead!

The pool got a good top up but was understandably full of fine dust this morning.  After such a long dry spell dust from the pool's surrounds would have been washed in along with dust off the roof and via the water harvesting setup I have on one of the downpipes.

I gave the pool a good vacuum this morning but it needed a second go later this afternoon as the fine dust continued to settle.

As predicted, today was also a bottling day for my latest brew. I had finished vacuuming the pool and bottling my latest brew by 9 am.

But then there was a little shopping, a bike ride, a website to update, new TV series to investigate and download.  The new BBC Series "The Escape Artist" looks a likely series.

Click HERE to go to one online website I visit daily to check out the latest UK TV series.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Already Monday has been a busy day for me.  As a result of putting a 'brew on' automatically means I have two subsequent chores to get done, bottle washing and bottling. The brew went on on Thursday and usually needs to be bottled under a week later.  At this stage I have earmarked Wednesday for the bottling day.  Therefore 30+ bottles need to be washed and dried.

So today was a bottle washing day.  I can now do a bottle washing of at least 30 bottles in under an hour.  That includes setting up, doing the washing and putting stuff away.  So by around 8:15 this morning my washed bottles were sitting on the bottle tree drying in the sunshine.

We have discovered a shortcoming in having the cheaper power rate connected for the pool filter.  Any peak time during the day, power on that circuit is disconnected for an hour or so each morning and for 3 or 4 hours each night between say 4:30 pm and 8:30pm.  So if we wish to sit under the new shelter during the evening we have no light available to us until well after 8pm.

We need some sort of lighting so yesterday I bought what is called a 'Shed Light" from Bunnings. It is a solar light and runs 10 small LED's which provide ample light for just sitting around after dark.  So I installed that as well this morning.

Looks interesting doesn't it?

My friend who was having problems with connecting to TeleChoice had his problems sorted out this morning.  The lack of knowledge of some of the young staff at the Telstra Shop was amazing.  No it won't work in that phone, the phone is locked etc were all absolute rubbish.  It turned out the phone was faulty.  Once the faulty phone was replaced with a new one, the activated TeleChoice sim card was inserted and the phone restarted it worked perfectly!

At one stage they were going to sell him a a $35 Telstra Plan with about half the calls allowance he had with TeleChoice.  He is a happy chap right now and enjoying his new inexpensive phone on a wonderfully generous $20 per month phone plan and connected to the Telstra network!

Another 13k bike ride this morning followed by a glorious swim in the pool.  We have some heavy looking clouds rolling in from time to time today and another promise of thunder storms tomorrow.  They may just be right this time!

It Is Bubbling Away

Just a quickie!  The brew is bubbling away in the garage.  It seems it took a little time for pressure to build up in the barrel before the air lock began working again.

It is bubbling away nicely! The replacement Air-Lock has done the trick!

The inner piece just sits there.  The 'old' one had a crack in it which allowed the gas to escape.

A Few Showers Later In The Day

Or so the forecast said!

But as you can see from the photo there aren't any showers anywhere around the Sunshine Coast 'later in the day' today!  As you can appreciate, it is extremely pleasant under the new 'shelter'.

We had a top in the high 20's along with a gusty easterly wind.  That means dust off the new estate and I will need to vacuum the pool tomorrow morning!

And the forecast thunder storms the other day turned out to be a figment of someone's imagination.  The pavers around the pool got wet but there wasn't enough rain in the gauge to record any rainfall.

My back is improving each day.  Right now, as long as I am careful, everything is fine.  I remain a little cautious first thing in the day but after a 30 minutes and two "Osteo-Eze" I am fine.  I have been bike riding my 12 or 13 k's each day without a problem.

You probably won't notice but the old gazebo which used to live under the back patio near my bike is no longer there.  I am $75 richer and a young guy has a great shelter to take with him and his family when camping.  Not a bad website that "Gum Tree"!

I have been doing a lot of helping with friends in Melbourne with their phone setup.  They have purchased their Huawei Y300 from the Telstra Shop, they have bought and activated their $20 per month Telechoice sim card but right now the two won't talk to each other.

It seems the phone is 'locked' but everyone else who has bought a Huawei Y300 from the Telstra shop has just popped their Telechoice sim card into it and it works fine.

Telechoice uses the Telstra network so it works in a Telstra network locked phone.

I have a brew on right now.  However there is an air leak in it somewhere so there are no bubbles through the air lock.  This should have no effect on the beer brewing inside (I hope) but it seems I may need a new barrel.  I have replaced the air lock itself and the seal under the lid.  I have replaced the grommet around the air lock but still no bubbles!  I did a hydrometer test of it today and the measurements indicate the brew is progressing nicely.

I may be up for a new barrel in the next week or so.

Drinks were very pleasant last night.  We only had Ian and Kerrie join us but it was quality rather than quantity!  It was lots of fun!

Computer Club was busy this morning with a range of problems.  The older member who bought a new laptop the other day had a problem, she could find the power switch to turn it on.

It is in a tricky spot but we found it.  She had the quick start guide which showed where the switch was but she didn't look at that.

All Quiet On The Northern Front

Very quiet in our little area the last day or so.  A gorgeous day though today, low 30's but a gusty north wind.  The gusty wind indicates a cooler change is on the way with something called "Possible Storms" predicted for tomorrow.  I will need to get the dictionary out as I can't remember what anything to do with rain actually means it has been so long since we had any rain to speak of.

The pool is a lot warmer now which makes my morning swim quite pleasant.  I did again get my 12+k bike ride in this morning and enjoyed the swim which followed.

Yesterday Trish had her trip to the doctor to update her prescriptions.  Whilst with the GP she mentioned my crook back to her and got me a form to have an X-Ray done.  I am back to the GP on Tuesday.  This is exactly what my back needed!  The improvement in it since I heard I was having an X-Ray has been very noticeable.  After I wake I have a quick stretch and flex while in bed and I can move reasonably easily.  After 30 minutes or so it feels pretty good.

But I will have the X-Ray tomorrow just in case.

While Trish was at the doctor's I helped a Computer Club member (Daphne is 85) set up her new Windows 8 laptop.  It is now usable for her as I added a Start Button and ensured it always opened at the Windows 8 Desktop.  Now it runs very similarly to her previous laptop which was Windows 7.

From there it was to the Home Brew shop to stack up on brews.  I was delighted to find a $50 credit waiting for me from someone I helped with their laptop and their home network.  I will put another brew on tomorrow.

If anyone is after a cheap but reasonable laptop have a look at this. (Click HERE).  This seems a pretty good deal to me from "Dick Smith".

It is $499 but it seems there is a $79 cash back deal on it as well.  There is only 'on board' graphics with this and the screen is just OK, not hi res or anything, nothing brilliant from what the comments say.  However if you are after a new laptop for everyday use this seems a great buy.

A Delightful Day

Recently I set the "Waeco" portable fridge up just outside the back door.  In the past it has gone inside the back door but it can be a little noisy and really put out some heat when stocked up with drinks to cool.

We bought the Waeco for the caravan when we had it 10 years ago as we were finding chilling drinks in the caravan fridge was a 24 hour job.  The Waeco would do the same job in a few hours.  Rather than just having it sit there doing nothing after we sold the caravan, we use it during summer to chill drinks especially for when the pool is in use.

So it was all set up and laden with home brew and soft drinks.  The temp adjustment didn't want to work when I first set it up but after several goes the indicator lights were moving and all 'seemed' OK.  After around 12 hours or so the drinks did seem to be very cold indeed and I began to suspect something wasn't right.

When a can or two went like the one in the photo left I knew there was a problem.  The Waeco is currently at the Waeco Agent here on the Sunshine Coast where he suspects the thermostat probably needs replacement at a cost of around $180! 

Then the soft drink cans won't look like this one!

It is a glorious day outside right now, high 20's heaps of sunshine and a tempering breeze.  My back is slightly better but not much.  Yesterday I delivered 125 of the Community Association newsletters and today I did the last 50 or so.  Then it was off on a 8.5k bike ride.

My back causes concern when I twist or lean forward.  Putting my shorts on first thing in the morning is torturous!  I can really hurt if I am not prepared for it.  After I have warmed up a little, it isn't too bad.  After a Mobic tablet it is just sensational for a couple of hours!

Still Not Right

I feel a little better each day with my sore back.  I am back to the chiro this morning for a further tune up.  The bike remains in limbo and I 'try' to take it easy.  Trouble is you rest up a little, feel great, do something else and the back complains and again you are back to square one!

Trish is back to Quilters and a Bus Trip into Brisbane to a Craft shop or something today.

She has been using a 'smart phone' she bought from Coles for $49 a couple of years ago.  Slowly but surely it is dying.  It works pretty well for her and does everything she wanted.  But it began doing some strange things so on Wednesday she came home with a new phone.

It is a Huawei Y300 and cost her $99 from the local Telstra Shop (and locked to the Telstra Network).  For what she wants and for what this phone does it is a 'steal' at $99.

For the basic user who wants to make calls, perhaps take a photo, read her emails, play a couple of simple games you don't need to spend copious amounts of money on a top of the range Samsung or an Apple.

Phone companies must love people who know nothing about phones or plans and buy a phone with all the wizz bangs they would never use and then pay around $60+ a month and lock themselves in for 2 years and get a few calls and a top of the range phone.  Instead they should grab this phone for under $100 and get on a $20 per month plan with heaps of calls and data.

The new phone even comes with a two year warranty!  It loads quickly and works beautifully.  A $20 plan with Telechoice gives you $500 worth of calls (around 8 hours of calls), 1GB of data and all of this on 97% of the Telstra Australia wide network.

So it is a two stage operation, firstly get your phone and then secondly get yourself a Telechoice sim card by checking out their website.  With this phone it does seem to look for updates pretty regularly so you just need to keep an eye on your data usage.  When you are home, this is off your home wireless network and isn't a problem.  When you are out it gets it via the mobile phone network and this costs from your data allowance.  But the if you want you can just turn the phone's data "off".

Despite Trish heading out for the day we will have drinks tonight around with Ian and Kerrie.  Trish will get there when she can.  Other friends John and Margaret are away.  Marg's mum in her 80's, lives in the town of Texas, has cancer and recently suffered a heart attack so they have headed out there to help her convalesce.

Our recent meal at Thai Lime Twist on Wednesday was very pleasant and came in at around $25 per head.  But you get a little cross at $2 per head corkage and then an extra 1% on the bill to pay with a credit card.  Though not a lot of money, it doesn't encourage you to return.

It is actually cloudy today and a shower or two is forecast.  It is cloudy right now but we haven't seen any rain to speak of here for around 4 weeks!  It is expected to fine up later today but occasional showers and temps in the mid 20's is forecast for the next few days.

Back Hassles

The bike has been put in limbo, the Osteoeze and Mobic are sitting on the kitchen bench and I am moving very slowly.

My problem back flared up recently giving me incredible discomfort.  Usually a trip to the Chiro is enough to 'fix' me but despite a visit there yesterday, I remain extremely tender even today.  The ice and heat packs are being put to use frequently and right now I feel "OK".

After the morning tablets take effect I can get around but I just need to watch what I do.  Hopefully taking it easy for next day or so will see things improve.  I am better today than yesterday and hopefully I will be fine in another day or so.

We did get to Kawana Tavern for lunch yesterday (Tuesday) with friends Ian and Kerrie.  They drove so it took some pressure off.  The Tavern is a pretty spot right on the Marina.  The food was OK but not cheap nor filling.  But on the upside, they did have Carlton Draught on tap.

Trish has been busy with Arts Centre stuff all Monday.  Tuesday was a little quieter and today Wednesday she is right back into it.  Today is Stitchers and she as President has the whole morning to 'run'.  Meanwhile I am hobbling around at home!

We are heading out to tea tonight at a local Thai Restaurant called 'Thai Lime Twist' again with Ian and Kerrie.  The food there is quite OK and inexpensive.  It should be very enjoyable.

We enjoyed the end of both of the TV series we have been watching recently.  The Tudors and The Bridge (US) were great.  Last night we watched a couple of movies for a change.  One was "Lovelace" based on the book and life of Linda Lovelace.  It was very interesting and certainly casts her in a different light.

The other was quite OK as well and called "The East".  It told of how a government supported group would infiltrate resistance groups in the US to help block attacks on large businesses.  It was entertaining enough.

We have live TV coverage on Pay TV of Australia V India One Day Cricket Series currently being played over there.  After our night out tonight I will have a good look at tonight's Game 2 in the series.

Tonight's match is being played in Jaipur in India, a city which Trish and I visited when there around 20 years ago.