It's Christmas Eve

Things continue to have been very busy but are beginning to quieten down quite a lot now.

We finished up the family weekend away at St Andrew's Beach and made our way back to Kate and Arj's for the Monday night.  We had Kate's children with us as well and got them home safely where they badly needed a couple of good night's sleep.  They have had that now.

Meanwhile on Tuesday we made our way to Indented Head and spent two great nights with my brother Geoff and his wife Jeanette.  We don't see a lot of each other so the time we spent together was both alcoholic and extremely pleasant.

Geoff and Jeanette have become involved with Probus, a social get together group of ex professionals and business people and Trish and I accompanied Geoff and Jeanette to their Probus Xmas Meeting.  It seemed fun so Trish and I may chase up a Probus group on the Sunshine Coast.  Fund raising is not involved with Probus which makes it an even more attractive proposition.

Following the meeting Geoff took us on a brief sight seeing tour of the local area.  The photo above was taken at a local Apple Cider producing establishment.  The outlook is delightful as you can see.

We finally arrived back at Kate's again (after a quick side trip to the Vietnamese Restaurants in Springvale) around mid Thursday afternoon.  Then it was out with "The Group" to another restaurant for the Xmas get together.  This time the meal was Thai!

We enjoyed nibbles and some drinks at someone's house, then went to the restaurant for the Main Course, before returning to house for sweets and Kris kringle.  It was all great fun and really good to catch up with old friends.

Since then things have been very very quiet.  I have slept for well over 8 hours the last two nights which is much more than I usually need.  I guess the last 6 weeks or so previously were beginning to catch up with us.

Xmas Eve will be quiet with a smallish Xmas lunch with Kate and family on Xmas Day.  Then that Xmas night we head to Arj's family's Xmas Dinner.  Being Sri Lankan, curries will be the order of the day. 

Boxing Day will see us at Drouin for a BBQ with Barry Rainy et al, while I am hopeful of getting to the Melbourne Third Cricket Test for days 2 and 3. Day 3 could be wet so we will wait and see on that one. 

Friday will be a quiet (watching Day 4 on the telly) and getting sorted day ready for the 1800km drive back home to Caloundra.  We are aiming at a one night stop over trip this time and have our sights set on Gilgandra which means a little under 950k's in the day.  It will be a long day but we did around 1100 k's when we drove from Newcastle NSW to Berwick on the way down.

With this plan we hope to be back home New Year's Eve.

But we will see!

Family Christmas Coming To A Close.

Heaps has happened since my last post.  We have safely completed the long drive from home on the Sunshine Coast to our daughter's home in Melbourne.  We spent several great days in perfect weather in Newcastle where we joined with around 30 others to celebrate Mick's 60th birthday.  It was a great few days.  Mick enjoys his technology too so needless to say much file and information swapping occurred.

Then it was a terribly long drive from Newcastle NSW to Melbourne's south east suburbs all in one day, around 1100 kilometres actually.  A spot or two of some Christmas shopping then down to St Andrew's Beach on the Mornington Peninsula with the whole family, partners and grandchildren, altogether to enjoy an early family Christmas.  We had rented a huge house with enough bedrooms to house us all, plenty of bedrooms and enough toilet and shower facilities for everyone.

It was pretty good being all together.  A swimming pool would have topped it all off nicely but this place didn't have a pool.  The Home Theatre Room was popular as was the pool table and the outdoor spa.  Wendy, Chris' wife did all the catering and cooking and did a sensational job.

There was ham, chicken, turkey, and all the trimmings.  We ate and ate and ate.  There was some drinking going on as well.  We swapped presents, tried on new clothes and had heaps of laughs.  Needless to say the grandkids had a ball.

It was extremely enjoyable for all and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

I am typing this on the last evening of our St Andrew's Beach stay.  We head back to Kate's tomorrow (Monday) before heading to my brother's place at Indented head down near Geelong for a couple of nights.  Then it is back to Kate's for a 'Group Night Out' and that should just about see us out until Christmas Day. Then it is Drouin for the 'traditional' Boxing Day revelry, a couple of days at the Boxing day test before setting sights for home and our own bed again!

The photo shows several of the grand kids enjoying St Andrew's beach.

Now To Get Packed .... again!

It is just on exactly 1 week since our return from Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and for the second time in a month, we are in 'getting packed' mode, this time for our Christmas trip to Melbourne.

Already the medications have been sorted, the computer stuff is all in hand along with the hard drives to share.

The Waeco ( a portable fridge) has been tidied prior to being loaded up this evening in preparation for a 9am Friday set off towards our first port of call Newcastle.  Our ETA in Newcastle is around 1pm Saturday afternoon!

Having some clothes already at my daughter's place in Melbourne makes packing a little easier.  I will need to pack socks though.  At this time of the year Melbourne is pretty well the only place I would wear socks!

I must pack my MCC membership card as well.

Since being home from overseas it has been resting and recovering from the Asia trip, a couple of small things for the Community Association, and tasks such as mowing lawns and just getting the place ready for another 3 weeks away.

Home will be a pretty good place in around 3 week's time I reckon!

Drinks at our place for Saturday didn't happen, washed out with some very heavy rain.  But we did eventually catch up with most people on Wednesday night even though it didn't go fully to plan.  The 5pm pick up by the Club's Bus didn't arrive until well after 6pm.  By that stage we had cancelled and headed off to the local Bellvista Tavern with friends.

It was a good night and was a glorious walk home around 9pm in the warm sub tropical evening.

As the photo above shows, getting back to our own home and backyard is something we will look forward to by the New Year.  But with all that I must say it will be great to catch up with family and friends 'down south'.

Loooong Day Thursday

Our earlier Air-Asia flight was due to leave Penang Airport around 1:40 pm on Wednesday.  It was a little too early, but then, when you are looking for the least expensive flight, you can always manage a fairly early departure and it was all OK by us.

Overall travelling with the budget Airline Air-Asia was pretty good.  Our plane was 30 minutes late leaving for Sri Lanka from KL and we had that one hour delay from KL to Penang.  We had been reasonably lucky so we felt ensuring we were in KL with plenty of time to spare for our Australia connection home was a good move.

As it turned out our new 1:40pm flight to KL was an hour late taking off while the flight we had originally booked, left at around 4:55pm, 10 minutes late but got into KL 10 minutes early.  So we would have been OK.

The Air-Asia airline was fine.  Trish did the booking for the Penang/KL leg on her tablet using the hotel's WiFi.  When we arrived at Penang Airport and its sh*t WiFi, of course she couldn't load the boarding documentation to show for check-in.  But thankfully she had written down the Booking Number.  The young Air-Asia guy told us not to worry and he walked over to the check-in kiosk and got all our information, boarding passes and baggage labels for us.

Then we had the one hour delay to wait out.

But it all worked out perfectly.  We had oodles of time in KL, managed to check in for the Australia flight early and then found a comfortable spot to await our departure.  The final meal of Char Koay Teow and Ipoh Seafood Hor Fun at KL International Airport were great ways for us to say farewell to Malaysia.

We endured the 8 hour 30 minute flight home before arriving at Coolangatta International Airport.  The only thing with an International quality at the airport was the name.  What a tin-pot dive that airport is!

We got through all the steps, immigration, baggage collection and customs not without the odd drama but we got there.  The 20 minute wait for our 'Transfer" transportation from the Airport to the Car Storage place didn't excite us but eventually we were on our way home in the little blue Honda.

We were home well before lunch and had unpacked and got ourselves sorted before catching up on internet, mail, paperwork and the like.

I slept for well over 8 hours while Trish was nearer to 10 hours all up.  Today was a clothes washing and catch-up sort of a day.  The computer wanted to do huge updates, I put a home brew on and did some general unlocking and tidying up.

I did collect my new Hearing Aid for my 'good' left ear this afternoon and boy what a difference that makes.

I suspect another good night's sleep is in order for tonight before my last Computer Club day for 2017.  The second Cricket Test vs England gets underway tomorrow afternoon.  Next week we head south to Melbourne for Christmas.

Grabbed an Earlier Flight.

Curse the expense, it is better to be safe and sure. Via the Internet Trish was able to check the departure times of the plane from Penang to KL for our scheduled flight.  As a result we have just jumped online and booked an early afternoon flight to KL. We forfeit our fares but they weren't expensive.

This will ensure we can make our overnight flight to Australia with heaps of time to spare. We both feel a little more comfortable now.

Last night we ate at the restaurant in the photo above. I guess the name is pronounced Du Nish and not Danish! We had a whole baked snapper. We were a little apprehensive as to what we might get and to ensure we had enough we ordered a garlic naan as well.

What a magnificent meal we enjoyed. 3 curries and a raiita came with it. As it was a Muslim restaurant beer was not available but the food itself was outstanding.  30 minutes later you could still enjoy the powerful flavours.

Rain clouds are still all about so it is going to be showery again.

The flight to KL is only a 9 track flight. I usually listen to music as we fly and on the trip frpm KL to here I only got through 9 tracks!

Most like my next post will be from home.

Overall we planned this trip well. 5 nights was ok in KL, 5 nights in Sri Lanka could have been cut to 4 and possibly a couple of extra nights in Penang would have been good. However the couple of wet days at the end made 5 nights OK.

A Damp End To Our Asian Trip.

You probably won't be able to see the raindrops in the pool but that is what it has been like all day, just wet enough to not to try anything outdoors. We took a stroll around the resort earlier just to stretch the legs.

There isn't much else to do of course unless you are a kid. Here they have a great setup for kids with a feature they call Adventureland.  Almost makes you want to be a kid again. This whole setup has been created with young families or elderly wealthy tourists happy to pay 20MYR for a beer when it is 7MYR a small can outside the resort.  Adventureland photo below.

Food available in the resort is around Aussie prices, where out in the food courts outside the resort it is as cheap as chips.

Tomorrow we fly home. Checkout time is midday but we can 'park' our luggage there until around 2pm when we will head to Penang Airport for our flight to KL. We are due in Coolangatta around 6:30 am Thursday and expect to get home around 10am if all goes to plan.

We do need the flight out of Penang not to be delayed too long or that could throw a spanner in the works . 

Our Final Full Day.

This is the view across the Golden Sands pools this wet and extremely humid Tuesday morning. It has been showery across the night and the pool area this morning is all but deserted.

By 11am yesterday any queasiness had disappeared so we tried our luck with Uber and made our way through the thick traffic into Georgetown. We were dropped in the middle of town and then set off to explore. Each corner we turned the memories from the past flooded back.

We passed the cane shop where we had bought chairs for the kids 40 years ago. To be truthful there wasn't much still as we remembered all that time ago. We wandered down Campbell Street, Chulia Street and others. Georgetown has changed a lot.


The traffic seemed so busy with one way streets now everywhere. The heat made the whole exercise quite demanding and after an hour or so we sought the respite available in a large shopping colex called Komtar.

We rested and enjoyed a cold water for a good 30 minutes before heading off again. We discovered a new shopping complex caleed 1st Avenue which was quite impressive.

With about 40 minutes before our free shuttle bus trip back to the resort Trish wanted to get back to a Gold Shop for a look at gold necklaces. I should have guessed what was coming next. For Trish, Christmas has come early.

So back to our resort room we went. A few cool drinks on the balcony before heading out to eat. Murtabak, roti canai and satay were our food of choice.  During the meal the heavens opened up and down came the rain.

It is just after 9am and light rain continues to fall. The photo left was taken mid morning.

From The Golden Sands Penang.

We have done quite some walking since our arrival here in Penang. In many ways Penang is the same as we remembered it from 40 years ago, but of course it has changed enormously. It is more crowded nowadays with rows of condominiums along the roadside as you drive from Georgetown out to Batu Ferringhi.

There are now even more places to eat than ever before. And then some spots haven't changed. Like the alleyway on the southern side of our resort. The same extroverted guy is there putting on a performance just as he did 20 years ago. The beer is just as cold and the food is great and still inexpensive.

There is a new Food Court here that was only very small 15 years ago. Now it has expanded 5 times with local food available and fairly cheap.

The Golden Sands Resort is set up for family holidays. With several pools,play areas and plenty of space for others to lay back and enjoy the abundant sunshine. However it wouldn't be a cheap holiday if you just ate and drank within the Resort.

There is at your own risk parasailing, fishing trips, scuba diving and other water leisure activities. There are games in the pools to keep kids and some adults entertainment.

There is now more eating places across the road with new buildings stretching back several blocks.

I have been in the pool here a couple of times so far. With 3 pools you can always find a spot for a quiet swim. The weather hasn't been as hot as I remembered either. Though still quite warm, it hasn't been the searing heat I remembered.

One of the side effects of eating so much local food is a little queasiness and a desire not to venture too far from the sanctuary of our great hotel room.

The wifi here is adequate without being incredible. Still on most occasions I was able to stream some of the recent cricket test match on the tablet. The wifi wasn't good enough though to stream it onto the TV via an android tv box I brought just in case.

With some tummy gurgling going on most likely we'll hang around today. As it has for every day we've been here, rain is forecast for today. But the only rain we've spotted was a light shower last night when bartering for a couple of T-shirts and several singlets.

Speaking of food, we have breakfast included in our deal. There is literally everything you could think of on the buffet. All your local rotis, curries, fruit, western dishes, everything. And you can have as much as you can fit in.

I guess you can tell we are enjoying our time here, except for every now and again when we have had too much of a good thing.

Our final hurdle will be our flight from Penang back to KL to pick up our flight back to the Gold Coast on Wednesday evening. We have a less than desirable 2 hour 40 minute time between when our Penang flight is due to land and our homeward flight to take off. Hopefully there won't be a delay like when we flew here from KL.

But almost 3 hours between flights should be fine. With Air Asia things work pretty quickly and they seem to be able to squeeze you in somehow.

Safe and Sound at Golden Sands Penang.

This is the view from our 3rd storey room at Golden Sands Resort Penang.  It is much dearer than Galle but everything here just works and works well.

It was a long day from Galle to Penang. A 1 hour delay to our 9:30pm departure from KL didn't help. But everything went ok. The Sri Lanka to KL flight had empty seats so we were able to have plenty of room. I am npt sure why we had such a long stopover in KL, it just seemed the way the package went.

Wifi here is ok and I can stream the Cricket fine. There is a little buffering but overall it is pretty good.

I won't bore you with food stories but here is pretty good. Under $6 for a 650ml Tiger beer seems reasonable enough. There are eateries everywhere here and the food is great, the drinks cold and there are heaps of good times.

It is almost 15 years since we were last here and the rate of new building is amazing. Once where there was jungle is now row after row of multi storey condominiums. It is amazing.

There are small mini marts everywhere and even an ATM just over the road.

The facilities at the hotel are great, 3 pools, glorious garden areas, just perfect. 

In Between the Showers

Yep,more food. Last night's thunderstorm must have been pretty tame as the power never went off at all. But it was wet to walk anywhere especially after dark.  We headed for the little restaurant where the owner had invited us to come for a meal.

Usually when we head out for a walk we turn left towards the beach but to get to this restaurant you turn right and away from the beach. The street lighting in this part of the world isn't the best, we needed a torch in some places.

We ordered Devilled fish, curry prawns and curry calamari. A couple of 'big' beers for me and a couple of Coca-Colas for Trish and it was almost the best meal we had had.

Very pleasant and as cheap as chips.

The Russians Are Coming!

Another day in Sri Lanka, day 4 actually. Trish awoke feeling a little queasy and certainly not looking forward to walking around an old stone fort in the tropical heat and humidity. At one stage we were about to head off but she felt another 20 minutes rest would be a better idea. The longer the morning went, the better she felt and the hotter it became outside.

Around late morning she was feeling ok and could handle a shorter walk locally.

The sign above was just one of many we spotted written in Russian as we headed off for a walk. There are quite a few Europeans here at Thambapanni (there are only 22 rooms in the 'resort') who are eastern European in appearance.  There are several German couples but Trish and I are the only Aussies.

This certainly makes having a chat over a beer difficult. Most of them stare and walk past you as if you weren't there at all.  They are not the friendliest and you can't even get a smile or a nod.

Our local walk took us up a rather steep hill. About half way up the hill is a restaurant . The owner leaned over the rail and insisted we go there for our evening meal.  She had a bubbly personality and promised us a genuine Sri Lankan meal cheaper than anything we cold buy 'on the beach '.

So that's where we will head later.

We finished up our walk at our favorite by the beach eatery for a cool drink and a light meal.

From there the pool looked good for me while Trish recuperated with her tablet in the air conditioned room.

No Internet, & Huge Thunderstorm.

Now what will we do today, day 3 of our stay in Sri Lanka? Not much as it turned out. The famous Tiger Reserve is 3 hours away and comes with a 4am start. We are probably a little beyond 4am starts so that idea disappeared. Then there are Tea Plantations.

In Penang we did Oil Palm plantations, rubber plantations so a Tea plantation doesn't do much for us either.

Now the Galle Fort would be good but initial enquiries are there isn't a guided tour of the famous Fort. So it is tuk tuk to the fort then you are on your own. That's probably on for tomorrow.  A final decision will happen in the morning.

But we did eat and drink a bit. Curry and Rice was my choice and pretty good it all was.  Fish Curry for tea and Chicken Curry  for lunch. Here in Sri Lanka they are huge meals. Actually a $6 Curry and Rice is probably enough for two people.

We returned to the 'resort' mid afternoon and discovered the internet was down. Not happy Jan!  Then we had a huge thunderstorm and the power went off around 4 times, one time was for a good 20 minutes.

We had a wander around town this morning  and saw some spots to stay that looked a tad better than where we were. But overall here is fine especially at $43 a night.

So it was to our regular night spot for curries and noodles as the photo above shows.

Back at the 'resort' after tea and we discovered the internet was back and running.

That's why you get this post.

Day 2, Thambapanni Resort Sri Lanka.

After a good night's sleep we arose on Day 2 in Sri Lanka ready for a quieter day. Breakfast at the 'resort' was serviceable and did the job. We were in no rush to head anywhere. The watch band on my $6:50 watch from China was breaking so that was a good enough reason to head into Galle, 4ks away.

The 10 minute ride in the tuk tuk was an experience that could take a whole blog post! The first watch repair place didn't have the correct size replacement band but the second place did. So 15 minutes later at a cost of $12 the watchband problem had been overcome.

We tend to walk a lot when visiting places like this which isn't a good idea for couple of 'oldies' in the tropical heat and humidity. Trish bought 20gms of saffron for $14 which seemed a good idea. Then we set sail for a Shopping Mall we had been told about but that didn't turn out to be what we expected. In the tropical heat and humidity we went looking for a cool drink after the walk in the heat of the day.

The place we found also had some food. So a bottle of coke, a bottle of water and a shared plate of rice, pol sambal and fish curry all for $5 meant lunch had been eaten. As in India, the taste of the food was powerful, a great taste sensation.

A short tuk tuk ride then found us at a touristy shop called Luv SL. It was the perfect place to buy some quality items for youngsters at home for Christmas.

From Luv SL it was another tuk tuk ride back to the resort. I donned my bathers and hit the pool for 30 minutes or so. Then it was drinks time so we made the 250m walk to the beach and this eatery right on the sand.

The photo above shows what you see from where we sit at the beachside eatery. The photoleft is the view back up from the beach.

Looks ok doesn't it? When you do an exact conversation the cost of a large 650m bottle of beer is a whisker over $3, but who's counting.

They will do a baked whole fish for under $16, so guess where we could be heading this evening?  That is if the thunderstorm going on outside clears!

Poolside In Sri Lanka

And to think we paid for what we endured yesterday!  Who knows what time it is right now. My watch says 9:15 am but my body isn't so sure.

We were awake at 4:15am in KL and on our way to the airport soon after. Then a couple of hours wait till take off which was delayed another 30 minutes. Three and a half hours later we landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We collected our luggage, were picked up and driven 2 hours to our 3 star resort in Galle. Our transfer vehicle was a fairly new Nissan sedan and quite comfortable.

As the photo shows it is an idyllic setting, older style rooms with everything you need. There's a recently updated bathroom and a huge bed covered with mosquito netting, air conditioning and a wonderful ceiling fan. Our room is via the doorway directly beneath the patio ceiling fan in the photo.

There is a TV but no coverage of any cricket, strange I thought for this part of the world.  Though my watch said 3pm, it was 5:30 KL time, 7:30 Brisbane time and 8:30 Melbourne  time.

After suffering some tummy cramps on our final night in KL, my activity throughout the trip to Sri Lanka was a little uneasy but survived without mishap.

We walked 250m to the beach which had rows of Bali style restaurants and bars spreading onto the sand. Here we had a drink and a meal. Trish had some fried rice for around $4:50 while I had a Kuttu dish. A 650ml bottle of the local beer was a few cents over $3.

We tried to stay awake as late as possible but by 8:30 local time (I think) saw us pull back the mosquito netting and sleep. The wifi here is just OK so I listened to my Melboune Sports Radio Station. I turned it off at 3am, but 9:30pm local time, I think.

Today will be quiet with a Tuk Tuk trip into Galle for a look around and enjoy a quiet recovery day. The $3 big bottle of beer on the beach sounds good too.

Our Final Day in KL Today

Yesterday we did the Hop On Hop Off KL Bus thing. It took us to many places we had been to previously and a few we hadn't seen before.   We only got off at three stops but each stop was for a place we wanted to visit.

We stopped at China Town and in particular, Petaling Street. This is the home of the famous KL Night Market. Despite being around 11am, many stalls were open selling stuff we weren't interested in buying. Our next stop was Little India and there was some stuff we wanted to buy here, roti canai and Murtabak .

The old Indian guy who served gave us special treatment. 2 rotis, a Murtabak and 2 soft drinks set us back a little over $5. That is a roti in the photo above.

It was back on the air conditioned bus and we rode by various towers, bird parks, royal palaces, stations and flower gardens. The next and final stop for us to check out was the Twin Towers. This hides yet another huge shopping complex. It was a very quick look before we again sought the air conditioned bus.

It filled in the day and we saw some things we had never seen on previous trips.

Finally it was back to the room for fluid replacement.

Our evening meal was in a spot we found accidentally. We decided to head down a different street to get to Jalan Alor and come across another line of restaurants. One of those restaurants was partially Indian so for me it was another Murtabak while Trish had the old favorite, Char Koay Teow.

By then I was quite full but Trish was still peckish. So some Kai lan and a small oyster omelet later we headed back to our pad feeling quite exhausted. I slept for 8 hours. I haven't slept that long for some time.

Today, our final full day in KL will be fairly quiet. We have a 5am pickup tomorrow to take us to the airport and off to Sri Lanka for the following 5 nights.

Our Little AirBnB Pad

We've been out walking again today. But come 2:30 or so it is time to seek refuge with a cold beer and get ready for tonight's attack on the hawker carts.

We discovered a shopping centre called Pavilions and got lost in it. The centre is just huge!

But as you can see it is now time to relax, replace some that lost fluid and get ready for tonight.

The unit is compact on sits on the 21st floor.  So we have a bit of a view.

We are quite comfortable.  There is a fridge, micro wave, air con, TV and seating with a couch, an office chair and 4 kitchen chairs. Not bad for a little over $50 a night.

Around Town

We have discovered we can't walk the distances we used to. This meant we got back to our Studio Unit a little earlier than we had first thought. We got out and about mid morning, had fried rice and watermelon juice for breakfast and then off to to check out Sungai Wang Shopping Centre.

On the way we checked out another centre called Low Yat. We spent $10 all up and got 2 sim cards for our phones. We get around 30 mins of talk or data included. The girl set it all up for us, activated the cards. After we added a little extra credit she went and set up free calls between us. All for $10! Nice to know we can contact each other in an emergency.

The Sungai Wang shopping centre has become old and shabby with numerous shops up for rent.

I went back to Low Yat and found a shop which sold android TV boxes, none was a brand I recognized. But this computer shop sold all the bits and pieces I keep an eye on on the Internet. It was great.

We had lunch at the hawker stalls filling a floor at Sungai Wang. My Koay Teow cost me a little over $2 Australian.

It was around 2pm when we felt it was time for a spell. So back to our room for a cool drink and a spell. Boy, the drinks were good!

Needless to say it was Jalan Alor for our evening meal. Roast duck, Beef Rendang and Salt and Pepper Squid were our choice, a little dearer than the night before but still very enjoyable.

We'll be out walking again today, checking places out. KL has changed a lot since last we were here.

Arrived Safely

I write this post from our AirBnB booked accommodation right in the heart of KL. The position is ideal with no more than a 10 minute walk to one of the favorite eating haunts,Jalan Alor. The photo shows that was the one place we got to visit last night. We eventually got to our accommodation around 6pm. We couldn't transfer from the airport by Uber as more than likely you would need a phone to guide the driver. No phone so no Uber.

The next best option was the cab. In KL Airport you pre buy a coupon, then walk to the appropriate gate and there's your cab. I had been told to order a 'budget cab'. So that's what I did. However the girl in the booth wouldn't do that, as we had 4 pieces of luggage we would have to pay more. But it still worked out to be AUD $40 for a 65km trip travelling at up to 130ks in an air conditioned and very comfortable car.

Our room is great, not large by any means but is on the 21st floor of the Ramada Hotel.  It is a privately owned studio appartment. Very comfortable with everything we need. A big hassle was sorting out the air con but all is great now.

As the photo shows we did get to the eats street called Jalan Alor. i loved the couple of bottles of Anchor beer, Char Koay Teow, 10 Satay sticks and an Oyster Omelette. The drinks were as dear as the food, a little over $25 all up. With a 2hr time difference, come 9pm here we were ready for bed.

My ears have only cleared this morning giving me some hearing back.

Our plan today is to explore.

More news in the next day or so.

On the Starting Blocks

Here we are, in a coolish Tweed Heads in an older but great motel with a large room, heaps of seating, lots of bells and whistles and all good.

We have just wandered home from the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, literally just over the road from where we are staying. We arrived here mid afternoon and after settling in had a quick drive around town. How lucky we are to live in such a pretty place. Great surf beaches, heaps of sunsine and everything at your fingertips.

Our meal at the Bowling Club was great, and as the photo shows, some lawn bowlers were out there in 22 degree cold plying their skills.

Trish has been waiting for a last minute call from one of the kids to wish us a happy trip away but all is to no avail.

I am delighted to say the TV dongle works great, but we need a better internet service rather than the freebie supplied by the motel for things to really work well.

We've grabbed some nibblies for the 8 hour flight tomorrow and Trish has a new Sudoku book to keep her occupied. I have several TV series on the tablet to fill in the 8 hour flight.

Needless to say we are getting excited and can't wait to be on our way tomorrow.

All is good. I wonder if the kids will miss us while we are away?

Not Packed But Getting Sorted!

We are having unseasonally cool weather at the moment.  It will possibly make 24° later on today if the sun gets a chance to pop its head out this afternoon.  This time tomorrow we will be heading to Coolangatta ready for our flight to Kuala Lumpur departing around 10am Tuesday morning.

We have heard back from our AirBnB host giving us directions on how to collect the key and requesting our schedule for arrival and departure. So it is getting really close now.  The bed here at home is covered with shorts, T-Shirts, Polo tops, bathers and the like ready to pack.  But as we are going to somewhere 'hot', our selection for clothes is much easier.

But as is the way, Trish is caught up with an Arts Association Fair this weekend so she has been flat out since Thursday when they started getting things ready.  Today is the last day so it will be great when it is all over.  She will finish her packing tomorrow.

Yesterday afternoon (yes even on a Saturday) there was the final Community Association Meeting for 2017 followed by a Christmas Breakup which explains why I am moving at less than 100% today.  I took some care of myself but it seems I could have taken even more.

But that job is now over as the Association moves into hibernation for a couple of months.

We have worked out that after tomorrow we will be 'at home' for only 8 more nights between now and New Year as our trip to Newcastle and Melbourne happens a little over a week after we get back from Malaysia.

Being away for about 6 or 7 weeks of the last 8 weeks of the year we feel we will be happy to eventually get home after Melbourne.  We may even get home a few days prior to New Year yet.  We will spend Boxing Day with Barry and Rainy as per usual but we won't stay overnight this time.  I must get value out of my MCG membership so I want to get to as many days of the Test Cricket as possible before heading back to home, the pool and the heat.

My replacement H96Pro TV dongle turned up during the week.  For its size and cost it is a fairly impressive gadget.  I think I have worked out why the first dongle died.  I was using a generic USB charger and it really needs to use its own supplied charger to give it enough umph to work properly. With the generic usb charger the dongle would crash when I put a 32GB usb drive into it.  Use the correct supplied charger and everything works fine.

As you can see from the size, it will be ideal for travel purposes.  I have loaded the 32GB drive with a few movies and several TV series if we have any 'quiet' moments while away we will have that option.  If we have anywhere near decent wifi (as we did in Bali) we could stream the odd movie or two.  But it is easy and light to carry so ideal for heading away.

My elbow and forearm are still both badly bruised from the bike bingle though there isn't any real discomfort for everyday purposes now.  It may struggle a bit if I have to lift something heavy, but otherwise it feels much better than it looks.

So therefore the next post maybe from Malaysia.  I will use the 10" Samsung tablet to post my blog. The tablet lacks a few of the Blogger features that the PC version has.  I can't easily position pictures for example when using the tablet.  But it will be a bit of fun.

Next post, Kuala Lumpur!

A Day At The Caloundra Races

On Melbourne Cup Day (yesterday) we joined around 6,000 others on the Sunshine Coast and travelled to Caloundra Racecourse (Corbould Park) for a day at the races.  Horse racing isn't quite my thing but the opportunity to join with great friends, have a day out and enjoy a few beers was always going to be enticing enough for me to get along.

The ladies prepared lots of nibblies.  Uber got 4 of us to the track comfortably while Ian and Kerrie drove there.  We were sitting back in bright sunshine and balmy 28° enjoying a few drinks.  Beverage tickets were $3 each and you needed 2 tickets for a beer and 3 tickets for a small champers.

With so much to eat, the warm sunshine, cold drinks and wonderful company, it made for a great day.  However as predicted the clouds began to arrive but it didn't effect us having a great time.  The young 'things' were all out in their 'going to the races' finest.  There was plenty of lace and plenty of tanned skin to take in.

People passing by just stopped for a chat or ask us how we were enjoying the day.  The big screen was up and running showing all the horse racing events across the country.  We even had races at Caloundra to watch as well.  The food and drinks flowed throughout the day.  Sometimes you just wonder how you could fit it all in.

The clouds did begin to build up and it became pretty obvious storms were brewing.  The Melbourne Cup was to be shown on the big screen at 2pm local time and it became a bit of race to see what would happen first, the Cup or the impending storm.  It was pretty much a photo finish with people scurrying for cover from the huge raindrops and flashes lightning or bashing of thunder.

We scurried up under cover and out of the rain.  It didn't dampen the day at all.  Trish won around $30 while John cleaned up with about $80 profit on the Cup.  But we had a great day and probably ate and drank too much.  Eventually, we left for home as the rain had eased, again via Uber arriving back home around 6pm.

We didn't need an evening meal as we had been eating and drinking so much throughout the day.  I estimate we went though a little under $90 worth of Beverage tickets so we were filled to the brim upon our arrival home.

But shock, horror! Upon our arrival at home, I discovered there was no internet, the storm had knocked out our home internet connection!  But by around 8:15am this morning (Weds) full internet service had been returned.  It rained on and off across the night and into the morning.  This morning I tipped 44mls from the rain gauge!

All in all a great day was had by all, it was so good as a matter of fact, we have already agreed to do it again in 2018, possibly at one of our homes where there is a pool and a BBQ!

But we will see!

A Week To Go!

Around this time next week (early afternoon) we should be on our way around 200k's from here down to the Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta.  We fly out on Tuesday around 10 am for our trip to Malaysia and Sri Lanka. We jumped online and saw we were allocated a window seat each right at the back of the plane, almost the last two rows actually.

These rows only have 2 seats in them so at least no one will be 'in the middle'.  They will suit us.  We could sit side by side but that will cost another $20.

I reckon on the day we may be able to work out a swap with other passengers once on board.

It is around 8 hours to KL and we get in there around 4pm their time.  I have checked transfer fares from the Airport to our AirBNB accommodation in the city.  It seems you buy a 'voucher' at the airport for your trip into town around 80k's away.  The voucher system should ensure we are not ripped off at around $25 Australian.

Then we have 5 nights in KL before flying to Columbo.  We are staying in Galle which is a good 2 hour car trip from Columbo.  Though quite expensive on the surface to get transfer from the airport to Galle, when you take the total cost of flights for Trish and me as well as accommodation at a little under $700, an expensive ride to and from the 'resort' in Galle works out OK.

As the photo above shows, the bruising from my bingle on the bike almost a week ago is beginning to 'come out'.  It looks much worse than it is.  There is way more bruising than I first thought so no wonder it is still a little 'tender'.

Except for full strength in the arm, the rest is back to normal.

I have a Public Meeting to chair tonight.  Then we are off to Caloundra's Racecourse "Corbould Park" with friends for "Cup Day" tomorrow.  The weather is expected to be stormy but you never know.  It is a fun day with lots of laughs.

I have a Community Newsletter to finish for later in the week as well as a lengthy insert to prepare for the Association's website following tonight's meeting.  But most things are currently 'in hand' so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

I am off to the Chiropractor now so I had better get sorted.

I Forgot To Look!

I remember well, many many years ago when we lived in Penang. The kids were young with only Chris being of school age.  At that time Kate was a keen climber, especially over the lounge room furniture.  She had a nasty fall this day from the top of the main lounge chair and hit her head on the concrete floor and then burst into tears.  "I forgot to hang on" she cried.

On my bike ride on Tuesday "I forgot to look closely".  Council has opened a couple of the 'barrier gates along a pathway I use infrequently.  There is a zig-zag path to negotiate or you can use the open barrier gateway.  You do have to be a little careful on your bike as at times there can be a 10cm drop from the concrete pathway to the grass below.

I was on my way down a long hill and was just about at the bottom and ready to use the open barrier gateway instead of the zig-zag slow you down method.  I saw a sign saying "Beware of Construction Vehicles" which caught my attention.  Then I checked to make sure I didn't have a drop from the pathway down to the grass and finally looked up to negotiate the gateway!

Oh sh#$#@! I said to myself as I looked up and saw that today the gate had been closed. It had been painted a light green as well which helped it blend into the environment.  No way known could I stop so I went for the brakes and broadsided into the closed gate.  Now I can tell you that being almost 72 years of age, a collision like this with a metal gate, it was easy to work out who the victor would be!

I took the full brunt of the impact on my left arm across a couple of the bars of the gate.  The doctor described it as a 'soft tissue' injury.  I had it checked out as we head off overseas in less than a fortnight and I wanted to be sure I hadn't done anything nasty to it.

It is much improved today but still is extremely tender.  My upper arm remains quite swollen and a huge bruise is brewing ready to pop out. No way can I lift anything with my left arm.

Ah well, as I used to say to the kids at school, "Isn't it about time you acted your age!"

Will It or Won't It?

Will it rain today or won't it rain?

Brisbane has been hit with thunderstorms, lightning and sudden downpours the last day or so.  But we here on the Sunshine Coast may have observed a flicker of lightning in the distant sky to the south last night but that was all.

As the screen shot I took around 8am this morning shows it was again blowy this morning but I was up and out on my bike around 7 am, well before the wind began to spring up.  It was sunny at that stage but now, approaching lunchtime, it is overcast, the odd spit of a drop or two of rain and the wind has dropped away eerily.

With any sort of luck we will be in for a heavy shower or two, hopefully enough to fill up the pool.  The pool was back to 28° yesterday afternoon and just delightful for a swim.

I heard back recently that my 6 year old hearing aid which I put in for repair was now irreparable.  As I am an old bloke and on a pension, the government subsidizes me for a new one for me.  We have opted to forgo the health insurance payout (which meant another 5 months wait until the rebate became available) and just pay the difference ourselves.  The only reason we are doing that is the new replacement unit is 'on special'.  It is a very good deal indeed and saves an incredible amount of money.

Two weeks today we head to Coolangatta to stay the night prior to our flight to Kuala Lumpur at 9:30 am on Tuesday Nov14th.  It is around 200k's from here to Coolangatta so we reckon heading down the day before and staying overnight was a good idea.  You never know what may happen on the Bruce Hwy, the main (and only road) between here and Brisbane. There could be an accident, severe traffic jam or anything!

I do like my weather info and always have an electronic weather station set up around the house.  After some time they tend to die or stop working properly.  EBay again was where I went and the replacement weather Station was delivered this morning.

They are relatively inexpensive play things to have about.  I didn't pay a lot for it and as Trish says, it keeps me happy!

With our Melbourne trip a little over a week after we get back from KL I need to sort the Home Brew.  On Saturday I bottled one lot and then put on another.  The new brew will be for the trip down south.  So a bottle washing and bottling are in store for sometime this week.

Well, that's about it for today.  Same old, same old!

Not a Lot of News

It has certainly become somewhat cooler the last few days after all the rain.  We managed another inch of the stuff over Saturday and Sunday but it has remained cool and dry since.  The pool dropped down to 21° or so after the rain and the cooler sunless days.  Today we are looking at 30 or so but thunderstorms are tipped to return on Thursday.

We are beginning to get our heads around our trip overseas in almost 3 weeks time.  Already I have dug out a couple of power plug converters and we are beginning to think about clothes, what is needed and what to pack.  After quite a few years my good old around the house "Rugger" shorts have worn out and I have had to get something new to replace them, just in time before heading overseas.

Despite the rain we caught up with our drinks friends again on Saturday night.  It was great fun and enjoyed by all.  Friends Kerry and Ian travel overseas frequently and have used Air Asia as their airline out of Coolangatta.  They gave us some good ideas for the night before we take off accommodation which we have booked.  There is a great 'Club' just across the road and the car Parking place is just down the road.

Needless to say Sunday was fairly quiet and we moved into "Recovery" mode.  With a busy time for us prior to Christmas my Home Brew situation has come under review.  I usually take a brew away with me when we drive to Melbourne so brewing will be a priority over the next week or so.  I have bottle washed this morning and will most likely put another brew straight after this one ready for the Melbourne trip.

I didn't bother with a bike ride this morning as I am driving up near Maroochydore to do a guy's TV Box for him.  I also bottle washed as the photo above shows.  I have just about got this TV Box set up organized now with a few files I can upload to quicken the setup process.

I did bike ride both Monday and Tuesday and expect to ride again for the final 2 days of the week.

The Sonata goes in for a service o Friday, ready for the Melbourne trip.

Speaking of which I suggested to Trish we fly to Melbourne for the first round of the footy next year.  I can get to a couple of matches and make better use of my MCC Membership.  But more importantly, the weather will be warmer than those cold days I endured at the footy in late August this year.

And I will make an effort to get to several days of the Melbourne Ashes Test match as well.

Bottle rinsing time so that is all for today!

A Day Without Rain!

At last we have had a day where no rain has fallen despite the couple of mls I tipped out of the gauge from yesterday.  Those couple of mls sure caused some hassles though as Trish put a load of washing on the line.

The showers were "on and off" several times across the day, but eventually the washing dried and has now been put away.

I even managed a bike ride this morning as well and 'did' a little over 17k's.

The heavy rain is expected to arrive again on Saturday morning and should last for a couple of days.  It is expected to drop up to 200mls during this rain event.  Often the heavier falls are localized so you get the full 200mls if you are stuck under a non-moving thunderstorm!  Otherwise a total of  around 100mls is expected.

The new blinds were installed today.  The new blinds are slightly shorter than the previous set and are a very different color.  The shorter blinds were done for several reasons.

Of course being shorter they are less expensive, but now allow a greater movement of air beneath them, keep out minimally less sun and finally, are that little bit lighter to roll up.  This later fact is extremely important when I manually roll up the longer 3m blind.

The longer blind is around 30cms shorter again than the other two blinds. It shouldn't be so much of a hassle now to roll up nice and tight by hand.

I suspect the material is lighter in weight as well which also makes them less heavy to roll up nice and tightly by hand.  But overall I am more than pleased with the outcome.

Around 95%

It has taken a little time but things are rapidly getting back to normal in the midst of what has been some very wet weather.  Since the rain began last week, the current total is a little under 200mls.  It is certainly a lot brighter outside this morning as I type.  Despite repetitive showers, I managed to get the bathroom towels dry yesterday in between the showers.

Other areas further to our north have had around 400mls but we seem to have missed the very worst of it with our 200mls total.  The downpour has now pushed 2017 into an 'above average' year for rainfall.  It has been the continual strong wind which has been another major feature of this week's weather but it seems to be moderating nowadays.

The weather forecasters are saying we are in for another bout of very wet weather come the weekend so we now have that to look forward to.

So all the software now on the PC has been newly reinstalled and as always happens, some things don't work just quite the same.  However my networking setup is again perfect allowing me to push files around as I want, and my downloading hassles have disappeared.  Throw into the mix a new version of Firefox has just been released and some of my addons are now out of date, no longer working, and have required modifications.  It is all about 95% perfect again right now.

I hate it when everything is great and then there is an update and everything changes again.

Within the web browser Firefox there is a "Sync" function.  Firefox remembers all your addons, bookmarks, passwords and other features.  If a new install of Firefox happens, it is then able to download all your addons, passwords etc just as you had it before.  So that was great and now gives me a brand new install of the web browser.

Regretfully with the recent update a couple of the addons no longer work properly but I have implemented some changes so things work OK.

As I had a medical appointment in Caloundra to update prescriptions on Monday, I popped into the home brew shop to check my account.  It had over $150 on it.  So I have updated my supply of spirits mixers to go with the alcohol I get and a few bits and pieces such as grommets and the like as well as a few more cans of brew.

With so much cash there I also bought a new (and taller) beer brewing container.  Since updating the shelving in the garage some time ago, I now have extra space which can handle the taller (and better) brewing container.  At times, as the beer brews, it produces a lot of froth.  When this happens in the shorter container, the froth can push back up through the air lock and make quite a mess.

This should now be a thing of the past.  I think I will put a brew on next week.  I need to get my head around all this as we set of for Malaysia in around 25 days and the brewing process takes at least 7 days.

Needless to say with the wind and the rain, bike riding has been off the agenda.  According to the forecast I 'may' get a ride in tomorrow.

And the new blinds (or should I say the 're skinning'  of the current blinds) are being installed tomorrow.   ..... and a light shower is passing through again right now.

Plenty Of Water Has Passed Under The Bridge

The headline above is true in more cases than one.  As you may have seen on the news, SE Queensland has received a heap of rain with this area approaching around 200mls over the 3 days or so.  It is still raining outside now as I type. Earlier this morning (as I type at 8:34am) I think I saw a lighter patch in the skies as the sun tried to poke its head out through the clouds.

But it is raining again right now and has been doing so for the last 30 minutes or so.

The rain has been heavy at times but generally very steady giving us a good soak which is just what we need.

Usually I could tell you to the ml as to just how much rain we have had but today I can't.  As the 'ordinary' photo shows above, the PC has had a bit of an accident.  It all began of Friday with a few minor issues.  My default file downloader began to play up just a little.  It didn't matter what I did it still only worked intermittently. Then on Saturday it stopped working altogether.

On Sunday I thought I would do a System Restore which I tried but it didn't complete fully.  Partial System Restores are not good!  Thereafter a few other things stopped working including my networking, I could no longer see some other devices on my network.  The ability to be able to move files around, especially to and from the Seagate Cloud drive is very important for me.

Next step was to 'undo' the System Restore back to how it had been originally.  Again this didn't work completely.  Even another System Restore back to an even earlier date didn't work either.

I usually reformat my PC every couple of years but as things had been going so well I didn't bother, if it's not broken, don't fix it was my motto.  Fortunately I had done an backup early on the weekend.

The latest Windows makes it quite straight forward to do a quick full restore from within itself.  So by 8pm Monday night the PC was back to pristine condition but now means setting back up again with all my programs and other utilities.  I am sure there will be bits and pieces I still need to 'acquire' to get the job done.

So back I go to continue copying files across and getting evrything setup again

So the wet weather will continue and I will press on.

I remember we had around 141 mls for Saturday and Sunday.  I tipped 34mls out last night (Mon) and there must be another 10 or so mls in the gauge as I type.  I need to reinstall Office 2013 to record these falls.

So it is back to work  ...... or is it back to play!

And I'm pleased to report the company in China has agreed to replace the TV Dongle.

WoW, Time For A Post

Currently my life seems to centre around those hum drum mow the lawn, clean the pool type activities.  There is also the daily bike ride for which I clocked up well over 100k's this week, the odd home brew story, Community Association stuff and Android TV boxes.

So what have I been up to the last week or so, most of the above!  Home Brew is off the agenda for a week or so but all the rest has kept me busy.

I have visited other people's places to help with their TV boxes, there has been the odd Community Association stuff and the general everyday maintenance stuff for the pool and the garden.

We have been here 15 years now so the once young 12 year old lass from across the road is now in her late 20's, has a family and has since broken up with several partners.  She rather likes the $50 android TV box I set up for her mum so she thought she would get one for the new boyfriend's family.  It arrived the other day so Dad promptly dropped it off at my place for me to set up for her.

It is an Xiaomi Mi Android TV, under $100 and one of best value for money boxes out there.  It is a true Android TV box, rather than a less expensive purely Android powered boxes available from China.  As such the android TV system it has is one especially designed for Android TV Boxes.  My Nvidia Shield is the same, you can't download any old app from Google Play to use.  It has to be an app especially suitable for specially designed Android TV Boxes.

The big difference is the Nvidia Shield is designed to operate without a mouse.  So if you try to download Firefox to the Nvidia Shield, the download is not available to the Shield as Firefox relies on a mouse!  The Xiaomi My Android TV box is the same.

Now of course where there is a will there is a way so there are roundabout ways to install these apps and to use a mouse.  So I have a little explaining to do later today when Rachael pops over to collect her newly set up Mi Android TV Box.

Trish caught up with Kathryn, our mid 30's single and just delightful Chiropractor last night to head off into Brisbane for a Show.  Kinky Boots I think she said it was.  She just loved it and had a great time.  On Tuesday night she headed off to her first "View Club" dinner, I had Community Association business Wednesday night, Trish went to a show Thursday night while I spent several hours Thursday afternoon helping a mate out with his TV box.  He is a happy chappy now after I finished.

Pool was up to 27° the other day and is consistently around 25° for my morning swim.  The weather has been warm and sultry.  Today is a little cooler with the promise of thunderstorms possibly later today but we can expect plenty of rain over the weekend.  The screenshot above seems to indicate there are thunderstorms around.

I have just finished watching a 10 episode TV series called "The Vietnam War".  The show totaled over 18 hours and I was glued to the screen.  Needless to say the background music for the series was wonderful with Bob Dylan stuff getting a good airing.  It is predicted to be one of the top TV series for 2017.  Needless to say it won't be on Channels 7, 9, or 10 here as it is too good for those stations.  So keep your eye open on the ABC or SBS.

I continue to communicate with GearBest over the dead TV dongle.  Their last email to me was to check I had it plugged into the right HDMI port on the TV.  This is despite it working fine for 6 days and then on day 7 when I turned it there was nothing!  But you play the game and go along with them.  Needless to say this is the down side to buying cheap electronics online.  But it's fun!

Speaking of which, I bought an FM transmitter which plugs into the car's cigarette lighter.  Both cars are pre Bluetooth connection technology so any music I wish to play has to be off the 6 stacker CD player.  The new FM transmitter is also Bluetooth enabled so my music options when travelling down to Melbourne have just been expanded enormously!  I can also listen to Melbourne Sports Radio as we drive along!  Nifty eh!

Headlines Spot On!

The sun is back out, the front lawn is beginning to green up perfectly, the pool is full and the garden is well watered.  Over the recent few days we have amassed 120mls of rain, the first really decent rain we have had since summer. And exactly what the weekend's headlines had said!

In this part of the world summer is the wettest time of the year where thunderstorms can give you a quick 20mls just like that.  A stormy day can provide as much as 150mls and we have had well over 200mls in a day on rare occasions.  So to get 120mls over a couple of days was exactly what the garden needed.

On Monday it was down to around 18 degrees mid afternoon.  The trakkie dacks and slippers were back out along with a warm cup of soup.

Today it is around 27°, I am sitting in shorts and singlet busily typing away.  This morning was first time on the bike for a few days and I managed over 19k's.  Then I mowed the lawn which was the first time since before we flew to Melbourne in August.  Prior to being mowed it was strewn with gum leaves from the recent numerous windy days and trees in the street.

Now they have all gone, all cleaned up by the mower and into the green waste bin.  I have re mixed some two-stroke fuel for the line snipper and sorted things out ready for the mowing season.

The pool is around 24° later in the afternoon so a bit cooler than that in the morning.  But it is so refreshing after a long ride or mowing the lawn and cleaning up in the sub tropical spring.

Some bad news regarding the new TV Dongle, today it won't fire up.  It worked OK yesterday but this morning I unsuccessfully tried a new HDMI coupler I had bought so I could connect it to my Tuner amplifier but after connecting it the thing didn't want to load.  I manged to get something on the screen at one stage and it worked using the coupler, thus removing a possibly bodgy coupler causing it to crash.

There isn't a reset switch or anything on the box so letting it totally shut down for 24 hours and a restart then might do the trick but I seriously doubt it.  And having bought it online from China means little or no recourse for a refund or a replacement unit.

Ah well, we will see.

Floods, highway chaos: 120mm downpour threatens for Coast

That's the headline in this morning's local paper, The Sunshine Coast Daily.  As in Melbourne, it is a long weekend up here, the only difference is the holiday is on Monday rather than Melbourne's Friday.  And the forecast for the next few days has been upgraded with a heap of much wanted rain due to hit us this afternoon and over the next few days.

The photo is a screenshot taken from the BOM weather forecast for this area off my Kodi.  It seems the long and hot dry spell is coming to an end and for many people it just couldn't come soon enough.

On Friday as I tried to drive towards Caloundra the traffic was stopped on Caloundra Rd as holiday makers made their way into Caloundra for the long weekend.

For those of you in Melbourne Caloundra is a little like Rosebud's poorer cousin and is the choice of families with kids.  The Gold Coast is for the younger ones who want a great time and to spend money, while Noosa, well the only ones who go to Noosa are the local snobs and people from Melbourne who measure the success of a good holiday by how much it costs!

Don't get me wrong, Noosa is quite nice but it isn't the top choice as a holiday destination for the locals.

To top it all off there is a large Music Festival on here this weekend with top line acts performing over the three days of the long weekend.

The newspaper article referred to above suggests that those families who can head home today (Sunday) instead of waiting till tomorrow should consider to do so.

Well the footy has now come and gone with Richmond the 2017 premiers.  And the last team to beat them was my team about 4 or 5 weeks ago!  But then they belted us in an earlier final.  The Richmond faithful will be all very happy and many with sore heads this morning.

Daylight Saving has again started in the southern states putting oursleves one hour out of kilter with those down there.

I managed a 24k bike ride this morning as the wind has all gone with the weather change on the horizon.  Then I did a 'bottle washing' this morning as well because with the forecast rain, there wasn't another suitable day popping up early next week.  But it is all done and the bottles now have a few days to dry.

Hot But Not So Windy!

It is difficult to remember that this is still September because of the recent hot weather.  Under the pergola in the backyard, (especially during the morning as the photo left shows) the sun beats in, heats up the concrete and the thermometer out there goes crazy. But thank heavens the strong northerly winds have now abated.  And I even managed a bike ride this morning after several days of strong wind warnings.

Despite all the recent hot weather, the pool still was around 23° this morning, delightful for a swim after a 17k bike ride, but a wee bit chilly when you first hop in   Yesterday just before lunch it was reading over 38° under the pergola when probably the 'actual temperature was more likely a couple of degrees cooler than that.

This photo left was taken this morning and as you can see the time was 10:17 am. But that is the outside temperature and under the pergola with the hot sun beating on the concrete underneath.

An hour or so later the thermometre is telling me it is 39° out there as I type right now.  Here in the office it is a delightful 29° but the house is all locked up to keep it cooler.  The afternoon sea breeze will rock in soon dropping the under the pergola temperature by around 5° or so.

Next week we can look forward to tops around 25° which is a lot more like what it should be.

The new toy  (an android TV dongle) arrived yesterday and this photo shows it is all set up.  It gets its power from one of the TV's USB ports and the dongle itself can plug directly into one of the TV's HDMI connections.  I had to buy an ' HDMI swivel extender' as the bulkiness of the dongle means it can be difficult to fit when you have other HDMI cables plugged in to your TV.

The thing did not come with a remote either but a little $12 controller I had previously used was pressed back into action.  I had a 32GB Mini SD card which I have fitted and I also have a 32GB USB stick which then makes this unit ideal for travelling.  You can fill the SD card with TV series and the USB stick with movies meaning you can take around 16 TV series, each with 10 or so episodes, and over 30 movies with you when you hit the road.

The bit you can see poking out of the dongle is the wireless receiver for the mini keyboard.

Speaking of travelling, yesterday Trish booked accommodation for our upcoming trip to KL late in November.  I got incredibly cheap airfares late last year with Air Asia.  Now we have booked all other connecting flights and the associated accommodation.  It looks like we will have 5 nights in Kuala Lumpur staying Air BNB, then 5 nights in Sri Lanka staying in Galle (at a place Kate recommended) and finally 5 nights at the wonderful Golden Sands Resort in Penang before flying home.

We managed some good deals by booking accommodation alongside our Air Asia flights.  All of our flights are with Air Asia.  It looks like a great time away.