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.