Mid Week Update

The weather has been 'cool' for this part of the world.  We haven't bothered with the bedroom ceiling fan the last two nights which is a real indicator of just how mild it has been.  We still manage 30° or so each day but that sometimes happens in between the clouds and the occasional showers.

We headed back to the Tavern for tea last night but opted for the Parmigiana instead of the Steak.  This was an error, we should have stuck with the steak.  But still for the cost we certainly weren't hungry when we left.

Recently there has been plenty of cricket on TV for me to watch with games from NZ available via the Pay TV.

The Community Association continues to keep me very busy.  I did an interview yesterday for the local paper and we have been busy getting flyers organised for an upcoming forum on the Helicopter Noise Issue.

Today I washed bottles ready for the bottling.  We had a couple of showers first thing this morning so that delayed my ride.  I washed bottles instead and then rode later.  It is around lunchtime now and the bottles are all dry and have been put away ready for Friday's bottling.

My PC continues to cause some minor hassles.  I had some printer dramas yesterday but after re installing the printer software all worked well again.

Today I 'acquired' a later version of Windows 7 and I will be embarking on a re formatting of the PC sometime in the next few weeks.  I just need to maintain my backups to ensure all is OK when a major catastrophe hits (if it ever does).

Trish is at Stitchers today and is due home shortly.  She is visiting the Home Brew shop to get some mixer so I can make more Sambucca and Bourbon.  I received a 1125ml bottle of alcohol on Saturday from a Computer Club mate so it is time to mix up some new supplies.

I may take in some of the Women's Cricket match this afternoon when Australia meet England in a T20 match live from Hobart.  The men's teams then play later on this evening.

Another Brew Is On

The pool is a wonderful asset at this time of the year.  It gets used daily and is a great spot for a quick 20 minute cool off as required.

Also the recent rain has been great as well.  We have had over 3.5" the last few days or so with most falling overnight.  I didn't ride on Friday as it was too wet.  Saturday is Computer Club day so I don't ride, but this morning (Sunday) I got almost 13k's in without a problem.  We have a very strong S/E wind blowing which means there may be a shower or two of rain around but it won't be too hot as the prevailing wind is coming in off the sea.

The helicopter issue remains simmering below the surface.  I was on the local TV News for a short resident's perspective of the problem with another member of the Community Association on Thursday evening.

At computer club a European guy came to me with a problem with his tablet.  He said he couldn't get into his Google account to get his emails.  It turned out he wasn't connected to the internet which is why he couldn't get his emails.  It does make you wonder doesn't it?

I put another brew on this morning so bottle washing and a bottling will follow later this week.

We had Friday drinks at our place.  Hopefully there wasn't a booze bus around about as several of our guests were severely affected when the left.  It is only a three minute drive for them but in retrospect we should have driven them.  I reckon Saturday would have been a quiet day for them!

I have cricket on the telly this afternoon and the men's tennis final from Melbourne is on tonight.  The day is organized then isn't it!

Another Good One ..

Dear Mum &  Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm telling you that I've eloped with my new boyfriend.

I've found real love and he is so nice.  Especially with all his piercings, scars, tattoos, and his big motorcycle.

But it's not only that, I'm pregnant,  and Ahmed said that we will be very happy in his caravan in the  forest. He wants to have many more children with me and that's one of my  dreams too.

I've learned that marijuana does not hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and Ahmed's friends.

They're the ones providing us with all the cocaine and ecstasy we could ever want.

In the meantime we'll  pray to Allah for science to find a cure for AIDS, so Ahmed can get  better. He deserves it.

Don't worry about money.  Ahmed has  arranged for me to be in films that his friends Leroy and Jamal make in their basement.  Apparently I can earn £200 per scene. I get a £200 bonus if  there are more than three men in the scene and an extra £100 for the  deer.

Don't worry Mum.  Now I'm 15 I know how to take care of myself.

Someday we'll visit you and Dad so that you can meet your  grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,

Sandra

P.S. Dad, it's not true.  I'm watching TV at the neighbours.

I just wanted to show you that there really are worse things in life than England losing the Ashes!


Hope you enjoyed the joke too, now read our latest news in the post below.

Be It Ever So Humble ......

We flew back into Maroochydore around 5pm on Tuesday.  The plane had heaps of spare seats so Trish and I had a row to ourselves, allowing us to spread out and be comfortable.

By 7pm we had unpacked, I had sorted much of my stuff (update downloaded movies, unpack, set up the Waeco etc) and we headed to the local Bellvista Tavern for Tea.  I had been given a $25 Bellvista Tavern voucher for helping someone on their laptop so we put the voucher to good use. Trish wasn't in any mood to prepare any sort of meal.

We both had steak with chips and salad and really enjoyed it.  I don't order steak at pubs but made an exception this time.  Then it was a couple of beers, a glass of champers and we headed back to our home.  It was tropically hot and steamy.  And it was great to be back in our own bed again.

Needless to say we had a quick swim at around 11pm before hopping in to bed.

On Wednesday we awoke to our first morning back at home and another hot and steamy day.  Trish had Stitchers so she was on her way early.  I jumped on the bike for a shortened ride and the day was off to a usual start.  I decided I would ride around to Bunnings only 2k's away to get some 'trigger gun' hose nozzles and I needed fuel for the mower.  Up here anything plastic just doesn't last in the hot sun so to get a couple of years out of a plastic trigger hose nozzle isn't too bad.

As I was riding I miscalculated the driveway into Bunnings where there was a lip of a couple of inches between the gutter and the drive.  I usually cross these on an angle and ride up the lip that way.  There is always the chance the tyre won't grip and then you go over.

In this case the latter occurred and I have finished up with several nasty grazes.  I knew it was a possibility that I would fall so I was prepared to some extent.

Sorry about the photo!

With temps in the mid 30's and  high humidity, the pool at around 30 degrees was a great spot Wednesday afternoon.  The Waeco is fully in operating order so a couple of icy cold home brews ensured a great afternoon.

It has been very dry up here.  Thunderstorms were predicted for overnight Wednesday but these were expected to be hit and miss.  Caloundra was one of the few places to get a decent drop of rain, there was almost 60 mls in the rain gauge this morning.  Already much of the front lawn has turned green again.  We need a lot more before our lawn gets back to looking its best.

The rain and me needing to get a blood test done meant I won't be riding today.

I am pleased to say we have been home a couple of days now and my PC is working fine!  And I can also add that to have access to my home brew is wonderful.

Helicopters were comparably quiet yesterday.  It seems the Sunshine Coast Airport has been inundated with complaints regarding noisy incessant helicopter flights from all over Caloundra, not just from us, according to a local news broadcast yesterday afternoon. 

Now it is time to complete doctor appointments and get down the wonderful hum drum of being at home!

Our Bags Are Packed, We're Ready To Go ......

It is Tuesday morning and we are in the midst of getting ready to head to the airport and return to the Sunshine Coast.  Our plane is due to leave mid afternoon and we get back to Maroochydore around 5pm.

Most likely it will be later than that as being one of the final trips of the day, any previous delays will add up and further delay our departure.

Everyone recovered from Kate's Party.  Sunday was very quiet while Monday saw us enjoy another quietish day.  Many of the people we know are away so we couldn't catch up with them while here this trip.  However I did catch up with Gordon and Anne for a chat and a couple of beers Monday afternoon.

In summing up our time here the massive heat wave where we endured well over 40 degrees for 4 consecutive days had a huge impact on us.  It meant we were locked into staying around the house, it was just too hot for Trish to head to the tennis or for us to do anything during the day.

Even our night time trips were to places near by where we were ensured there would be some form of cooling.  It was fun helping Graeme and Pat set up their new media player and I received a great text message from them saying how much they enjoyed the freedom of being in charge of what TV they were going to watch.

Another major concern has been an issue with helicopters back near our home.  As President of the Community Association the whole affair has been stressful, a feeling I do not enjoy.  I feel I should be receiving some remuneration from it the way the pressure has been.  This is a pressure I do not need at my age.

Despite being in Melbourne I was repeatedly on my phone to people back home or adding entries to the Association's website.

With our plane leaving later today there is plenty of time to ensure we have everything.  From time to time we remember something and pack it into one of our bags.  Kate and Arj have a funeral to attend which makes today a little messy as far as us getting to the airport is concerned.  But we will get there OK.

My next post will be from back at the Sunshine Coast where the weather bureau promises us there will be a 'heat wave', but nothing like the 40+ degree days we have had while here in Melbourne.

Recovery Mode

Most of us are in recovery mode this morning after celebrating Kate's 40th birthday last night.  I don't think any of us will be wandering too far from home today.

Needless to say there many friends of both Kate and Arj in attendance as well as one or two of ours.  All the kids were there as well.  With Arj being involved with music and bands several of the guests were musicians.  As the evening wore on and after people had enjoyed their Sri Lankan 'Hoppers', Arj sat at the piano and another guy who had brought his guitar with him put on a great show.

Various members of the audience got up and performed, each one in varying degrees of sobriety.  But the whole thing was wonderful and after an hour or so everyone collapsed on the floor exhausted and 'sung out'.

Then it was cake time and Happy Birthday.

It was a terrific night and Trish and I hit the sack around 3:00 am.  That is extremely late for this old guy I can tell you.

So this morning after minimal sleep all has been cleaned up, Kate has returned to bed and Arj is about to head off returning tubs, glasses and catching up with a couple of other chores.

The photo shows exactly what Hoppers are.  You have them with curry and there were three sensational Sri Lankan curries to choose from each with a varying degree of spiciness.  You then pull the Hopper apart and use the piece to mop up some of the curry.  When you get to the egg bit at the bottom you need a fork to separate a piece of the base and then you add you curry.

Click on both photos for a larger view.

First timers enjoyed them as much as those who had enjoyed them before.  The Hoppers were one of the big hits of the night.  The music and friendship was great too.

A quiet day is in store today.  It is low 20's outside so very comfortable.  The cloudy sky is beginning to show glimpses of blue.

A Cooler Day ... At Last

Around 5:30pm yesterday the first semblance of a change in the weather began to be felt.  At first it was a wind change and the temp fell from 43 to 38 which was still so hot.  But there was a different feel in the air.

It is after 5pm on Saturday as I type and I expect I will be wearing long trousers for Kate's Party this evening.

We spent Thursday with Pat and Graeme at their new home in a gated community around 10 minutes from Kate's place.  It was a great night, enough to drink and we played around with our phones and Apple TV.  Graeme is an Apple man with his Mac laptop and Apple Air.  I wasn't much help to him I was afraid.  But we did a little more with their new android phone.

He was keen to watch movies and TV shows I had with my on my hard drive.  To cut a long story short, around 4pm this afternoon his new WDTV Media Player was working perfectly.  It had updated itself after connecting to his wireless network and we copied enough stuff over to a new hard disk drive he had bought and all was in full operation.

Last night we took my second WDTV around to Kim's and set that up for her as well.  They can now enjoy movies of whatever format.  Kim's TV has a built in media player but it struggled with some of the movie formats I now get, especially Matroska Fines (or .mkv).

We then headed to Chinta Ria, a well known Malaysian Restaurant about 10 minute walk away from Kim's place in St Kilda.  The Chicken Curry with roti's was to die for.  I enjoyed the Char Koay Teow, the lobak and the salt and pepper squid.   The photo shows Kim and Dave enjoying the meal.  Despite the cool change having arrived, it remained quite warm indoors at the restaurant.

Trish and I arrived back in Berwick around 11pm.

All is in ready for the big party tonight.  We have a hopper man providing the food which will be wonderful.  Hopper's are a Sri Lankan specialty.  Google hopper and check it out.

I need to get my long trousers on ready for things to get underway.

Three Down, One To Go

The title of this blog entry refers to days over 40 degrees and the stifling nights that go with them.  This is the third day of 4 consecutive days where more than 40 degrees has been forecast in a row.  The weather has blown all plans we had of getting out and about while here in Melbourne out of the window.

Trish has given up any thought of heading to the tennis.  The idea of spending a night at Kim's unit has suffered a similar fate.  Our days are spent indoors where the evaporative cooling does a great job.  This has enabled us to get a good night's sleep as well.  Our days are punctured by a fleeting visit to a nearby air conditioned shopping centre just to give the grandkids something to do. We did a tad of baby sitting as well which tied us up, a distraction we rather enjoyed.

Watching the tennis on TV has been the major task of each day.

Last night Trish and I slipped out to visit our favorite Vietnamese Restaurant in Springvale.  The usual friends we attend with were unavailable so we did the trip on our own.  We were given a downstairs table.  I later had cause to go to the upstairs part of the restaurant.  The heat there was stifling so we had done very well to be downstairs.

The Community Association back home has kept me busy here as well.  A helicopter company is flying numerous repettitve circuits each day giving residents "merry hell".  My email account has been getting a fair workout and has kept me pretty occupied.

Yesterday I had conversation with the Fight Training Officer at the company as well as one of the major players in the development of Caloundra South.  I seemed to be on the phone a lot more than usual.

It makes me feel I am still at work, a feeling I don't need!  It is also stressful, another feeling I don't need!  And all while it is 40 degrees outside.

Just Like Being At Home

Here we are enjoying the 38 degree heat at lunchtime on Tuesday.  We are in Melbourne in the midst of a heatwave.  They expect today it to be over 40 degrees.  It is just one of those dreadful Melbourne summer days with a strong northerly blowing and a cloudless sky.  It is going to get hotter and hotter and it will be around midnight before the temp gets under 30 degrees.

Kate and Arj have headed to a show in the city today and will stay overnight so we are baby sitting.  We expect them home around lunchtime tomorrow (Weds).

Thank heavens for the evaporative cooling which is installed here at their home.  It keeps the temperature at least 10 degrees lower than what it is outside.  Then if you have a fan it will feel even cooler.  It is not at all uncomfortable inside the house as long as you are below a ceiling vent or near a fan of some sort.

Kate bought an extra pedestal fan for us to use overnight.  It makes a huge difference to being able to sleep.  We have always had ceiling fans in our homes ever since we returned from Penang all those years ago.  Ceiling fans were the major cooling device back in those days in Malaysia and we have them installed thoughout our current home and previously when we lived here in Melbourne.

This trip to Melbourne we decided not to bring the laptop.  It is not the most modern of laptops and is heavy to cart around.  Being a 'shorter' stay I decided to bring just my hard drive (in the photo it is the black blob with a blue light and a "Z" marked on it).

Onto the portable hard disk drive I loaded several "Portable Apps" versions of my most used programs from home.  These are the full program but setup in such a way they only 'install' into a bare minimum of folders (usually just two) and not across the complete computer operating system.

I have loaded Firefox, Thunderbird, a mail preview program called MailWasher and a couple of other programs I use for discovering and processing movies which I download.

Then I copied the 'profile' (or all MY info) for both Firefox and Thunderbird (an email program) from my home PC into the portable programs.  So for all intents and purposes I have the laprop with me.  I open a folder with shortcuts to my Portable apps Programs, click on the shortcut I want and I using exactly the same program and settings that I would have done when home.

This process is working very well.  Not only do I have 'my stuff' but all my passwords etc are working as well.

We are out with Kim tomorrow night.  I will update her movies for her and set up the second of my Media Players for her as well.  We are out for an evening meal with Pat and Graeme on Thursday and Trish has her eye on the big shopping centre at Chadstone for Friday.

The hot weather has cancelled any idea Trish had of heading to the tennis any time this week.  A cooler southerly change is expected for Friday afternoon.

This will be just in time for Kate's birthday party on Saturday night.  A cooler but fine night is tipped for Saturday!

Deja Vu

Our bags are packed and we are dressed up to return to Melbourne to be with our daughter Kate and her 40th Birthday.  We are due to leave in a matter of minutes.

I am not taking the laptop this time as it is a mere 8 days down there.  I am just taking my hard disk drive along with a heap of 'portable' programs.  Portable programs do not need to be fully installed on a computer though they are the full program with all features.  I wil see how it goes.

Melbourne is expecting a heat wave so it is extremely difficult to leave our home, the sea breezes, overhead ceiling fans and the pool!

Days leading up to our departure have been 'as usual'.

Downloading movies has been frenetic with special copies of the latest movies 'available for judging purposes only' have come onto the net.

It is time to shut down the PC and head off to our plane.  As usual I will continue to post from time to time when in Melbourne.

Plenty To Do

The PC is still at home and running fairly well.  I am really guessing it is time to reformat it, that is re install everything from the start again. This means ensuring all I have is well backed up which it is!  I will wait a little longer to see how things settle down.

It has been an 'as usual' week for us.  Fortunately the weather has cooled off quite a lot with current high temps in the high 20's.  We run the ceiling fan over night still but as it is now cooler this is usually at the lower setting.  The pool gets to high 20's when ever there is any sun around.

I continue to ride most mornings though morning showers meant I missed out today.  We had around 6mls of rain in a few showers of rain but it is fining up now.  The new bike continues to perform very well indeed.

The pool is nice and clean, the front lawn has been mown and generally everything is ship shape around the place.

With the Academy Awards not too far away the pirate movie download market has been bustling with great high scoring movies available to download.  I have been extremely busy getting my collection up to date!

A new brew has been bottled and stored away.

We are flying down to Melbourne again on Monday for just over a week.  It is a special birthday for Kate so we will be again in Melbourne for that.  We expect to fly home again on Tuesday Jan 21st.  Our flight down is a morning flight while our flight home is an evening one. Trish expects to get to the tennis weather permitting.

Friends Kerrie and Ian have been keen to visit Melbourne while we are there so this week we all booked flights for late March this year.  In a bit of a bungle we fly down to Melbourne on Thursday March 20th.  We have booked the flights but then I noted we will be in the air when my footy team plays its first game for 2014!  What a sacrifice I am forced to make!

Kerrie and Ian fly down the following Wednesday and we all fly home on the same flight on April 2nd.

Tiger Airways has a 30% off special so we all got great air fare prices.  Trish and I booked return airfraes including 1 x 20kg luggage and the total price came out at less than $240.  That is under $60 per person per one-way trip.

Computer Club gets back underway for 2014 tomorrow.

It's Back!

A phone call this morning confirmed my PC was ready and available to be collected from the tech who was checking it for me.  For all intents and purposes there wasn't anything wrong with it.  It did get a good clean out of dust and other bits and pieces.

Then everything was tested and it all came out OK.  I am guessing a build up of dust and an extremely humid day allowed a short circuit somewhere which shut down the PC power supply.  They usually reboot them selves an hour or two later.  This seems to fit the timetable of events to when the tech got it going again.

He even checked the small battery on the motherboard.  It was removed and tested but then the PC lost all my 'personal' settings, the time and date etc.  This in turn has an effect on any updates as it checks the last update with the current date and time.  When I got it back this morning the PC thought it was 2002!

Our long dry spell has come to an end with several thunderstorms rolling through this morning.  The pool is again full, the lawns have had a well earned watering and the plants are looking a lot happier.  We can expect even more rain as the day continues.

Kate and Arj have accepted a 2 year appointment to an overseas school.  We will give more details when we are able to.

Great to have the PC back again.  Especially as the cricket is now over with the Aussies going to a 5-nil win late yesterday.

Before the storms I got in my 12.5k bike ride and a glorious swim with pool around 28 degrees.

Cooler Today

The air con worked for almost 12 hours yesterday before a weak change made its way in from the south around 9pm last night.  Our backyard thermometer reached 44.5 degrees and the temperature was above 40 until the sun went down.  Overnight it was around the mid 20's.

The pool was sensational yesterday and used repeatedly (especially during breaks in the cricket) by both of us.  The shelter provided the shade and it wasn't too bad sitting out there.  Humidity was around 25% for much of the time.  The pool temp peaked at around 29 degrees yesterday afternoon.  It was still 27.5 degrees for my post bike ride swim this morning.

Today is the opposite, cloudy, overcast, mid 20's and trying to drizzle.  The humidity is around 75%.  We are expecting a top of high 20's.  It is trying to rain but all we have managed so far is a very brief light shower.

Click on the photo for a larger view, then click on the "X" to return to this page.  Both of these photos show what a gloomy and overcast day today is.

This morning I had a slightly shorter ride than usual and as you can see from the photo I rode down to Pumicestone Passage.  There were a few walkers and riders out and about, all enjoying the cooler conditions.

We have been promised another hotter day tomorrow before a cooler and stronger change on Tuesday which revert things back to 'normal'.

I will continue to spend my time in front of the TV today and enjoying the cricket.  The ceiling fans will come into their own with the sticky weather creating a situation not too dissimilar to Melbourne' "Evaporative Cooling".

40+ at Caloundra West

Comments get made about my preoccupation with weather where we live. 

Right now at just after 11 am on Saturday Jan 4th our outdoor temperature monitor is telling us it is 40.3 in our backyard right now.  Inside it is around 27 degrees but the air-con has been on for around an hour.  We can expect the temperature to ease as the day progresses and we get some respite caused by our proximity to the sea.

The Test cricket from Sydney is playing on the TV.

The one saving point of today's hot weather is that the humidity is down around 32%.  This at least makes the weather outside not as bad as it could have been.

Thank heavens for the solar energy panels beefing out electricity on these sunny days.  The pool is a very popular spot throughout the day.

Yesterday was hot as well with a top around 36 in our enclosed backyard.  The temp fell to the high 20's after the sun went down last night.  However the strong northerly we have had took the temperature back up to 30 degrees when we went to bed after a swim at 11pm.

However a cooler change is expected for us later today.

The Heat Is On

Our thermometer in the backyard tells us it is 37.5 degrees at 10:15 am.  It is always a little hotter in our smaller enclosed backyard.  The house is all shut up Melbourne summer style with windows and curtains all closed.  It is expected to be even warmer tomorrow.  The air conditioner will be switched on later.  It is days like today we are pleased we put the solar energy panels on which makes costs of running the air con more able to be managed.

The pool was a little below 27 degrees this morning after my bike ride.  It may get to almost 30 in the pool later on today.  We still badly need some rain though as I may need to top the pool up tomorrow from the mains system.

My PC remains at the computer repair place as it is holiday time and the guy is taking a break.  I expect to have it back sometime early next week.  Trish and I have been sharing her laptop.

With the cricket now on TV again that will take most of my time over the next few days.  The pool will be a welcome option during any of the breaks in today's play.

I will be bottle washing tomorrow as I put a brew on yesterday.  It is bubbling away as I type.  I helped someone out with their media player and as a vote of thanks I was given a couple of cans of Home Brew.  They were very welcome.  I have an "English Bitter" brewing now.

There isn't a lot of news.  I am back to my bike riding and sorting out my new bike.  I do some small adjustments on it from time to time.  I am creating a list of items to be attended to at the first free bike service I get early in February.

Happy New Year

A fair bit has happened since I last posted on my Blog.  I really enjoyed the final day's play of the Melbourne Test match where Australia won to go 4 nil up in the series.

Trish and I then spent the Sunday evening with Kim in her unit/flat in St Kilda and possibly had too much of a good time as we were flying home the next day.

We returned to the Sunshine Coast safely on Monday.  Fortunately we arrived at Tiger Airlines in Melbourne nice and early.  They had several aircraft leaving first thing for several Queensland holiday destinations so the check-in area was packed.  It took 50 minutes to get from the end of the queue until we checked in.  Trish and I had to sit apart the plane was that full.

Neighbour Brian was there to pick us up from the Sunshine Coast Airport and we were home by 10:30 am.  There were heaps of things to do, vacuum the pool, sort out luggage and set up the backyard again.  I was pleased everything started up OK when I powered things on after being away.  Needless to say we slept very well.

I didn't have the same success on Tuesday morning though, my PC was dead!  We had a little rain overnight and in the morning there was heavy cloud everywhere.  It was quite warm too and extremely humid.  Not good weather for starting up electrical equipment.  It is at the Computer Repair place now.

Even my Chinese imported phone started doing weird things.  But once I put it onto the charger for a while the problems cleared up.  As the battery charges it gets warm.  This warmth helped to dry the phone from the extreme humidity we were having.  It is working fine again now.

This is a little better than I can say for myself.  We went out with friends Ian and Kerrie for a meal last night then back to their place to see in the New Year.  I am suffering a little right now.

I managed 9k's on my bike ride this morning.  It was a little shorter than usual as I thought I should be a little careful not having ridden for a couple of weeks.

The pool will be a popular spot today as the clouds have disappeared and we have have bright sunshine with temps in the low 30's.