Before And After

It is very breezy outside with a strong westerly wind giving us a hot dry day.  The day isn't too dissimilar to one of those days in Melbourne with the northerly blowing.  It is around 30 degrees or so outside right now.

Brian is an 80 year old neighbour who lives at the end of the Court.  I keep him up to date with movies and TV shows.  Brian also helps us out when we fly anywhere by driving us to and from the local airport.  Though 80, he certainly is extremely fit doing lots of add jobs for organizations as well as being regular golfer.

In his working life he was a house painter and recently painted our drive way for us.  Brian agreed to paint the pool filter cover for me.  The lid of the cover is made from heavy decking timber which I was oiling every 12 months or so.  The timber look of the lid was passed its best so I decided to paint it.  Brian has all the equipment and what would be an hour long job for me he would knock over in 20 minutes.

Brian painted the pool filter box for me yesterday.  You can see how it now looks in the lower photo.

These two photos show what the backyard was like a couple of years ago to what it is like now.

Click on both photos for a larger view.

We have lost the tropical look of the palms but have gained a very usable area where we can have 8 or 10 people around without being squashed into a corner.

We also now have an easier area to maintain.  The palms were growing very large and their branches would rub into each other causing the fronds to be frazzled and drop heaps of rubbish into the pool.

During heavy rain we had the problem of that area flooding and washing rubbish and dirt into the pool as well.

Since we added the drain to back area any problems with excess flooding in the backyard has disappeared.

The same area looks very different nowadays.  The massive amount of shade we get now from the cover and the blind certainly give us a lot of options when entertaining guests or having family up from down south.  There is now plenty of shade for people to spread out and relax.

Another Hot Day

The temp gauge is saying it is almost 37 degrees out back right now.  We have the house locked up "Melbourne Heatwave Style", a big change from what we used to do where we left the place wide open to catch the breezes.  We do have very hot westerlies at the moment which isn't our usual 'summer' wind at all.  For example, the humidity level is around 25% when in the middle of summer that is more like 65%.

It is same old same old.  Trish off to Stitchers or Quilters, Les riding on his bike and having an early morning swim.  We had a couple of 12 degree nights so the water in the pool is again 'brisk'.

We badly need rain as the photo shows.  The most we have had in a day since our return from Melbourne well over three weeks ago is a couple of mls.  The grass crackles beneath your feet as you walk over it.

A cool change is due later so tomorrow will be about 27 or so.  But it gets back to hot again on Sunday.

I had a very busy Wednesday.  The Community Association Committee Meeting from the night before required a report to go on the website and that is always a big task for me.  But also on Wednesday not only did I wash bottles for my home brew, I bottled as well.

There has been lots of cricket on TV which I have enjoyed a great deal.

I have been riding most mornings.  The bike works extra well after the 'free' service the other day.  I am very pleased with it.

I hope you enjoyed the Abbott and Costello joke below, I thought it was very clever.

There may or may not be drinks later today.  One couple is away while the other couple have a lunch commitment and don't know if they will be back in time.  I think they are keen to get here though.  It isn't a problem as there is cricket on TV today and the next two days as well.

We only have a few episodes to go of The Tudors and The Bridge.  It has been good watching two very different stories together.  It breaks the night up perfectly.  

Bud Abbot and Lou Costello In The Computer Age

Hope you enjoy this. It is a little messy to increase the print size and read but it is very well done. Click on the magnifying glass with a "+" in it till the writing is of a readable size!

Abbott & Costello

Search For A Suitable Replacement!

Yesterday (Monday) was a public holiday here so it was a great day to stay at home!  The town was full of tourists making the most of an extremely hot day and a long weekend!  By hot I mean it was almost 38 degrees in our small enclosed backyard.  Despite being so hot the pool water was cooler than I thought it could have been.  You didn't stay in the pool long at all.

There was a great cricket match on TV as well so I must admit I spent a heap of time in front of the TV watching what turned out to be a very tense match.  The Victorians just got over the line with 2 wickets and several overs to spare.

Recently I received an email from a Cycle Store named Goldcross Cycles.  This is the shop where I bought my last bike several years ago.  They were offering a free very basic service on your bike and I had my bike booked in for a free service today.  The store was down near Mooloolaba so it was a great chance to have my free bike service and hunt around for a replacement for my favored 'Pool Sunseat".

We found a thing called an "Aquaduck" which instead of being an inflatable seat, was a bean bag style.  This had the advantage of never ever getting a puncture and would possibly handle the pool conditions and the hot sun better.

The previous model was actually a seat with a back.  This isn't, you really do just lie in it.  With this one you are sure in the water more and it doesn't seem to float as well.  This isn't a disadvantage!  You wouldn't believe the cost so I won't tell you.  This is also a little easier to 'store' when not in use. I gave it a test run when we got back home.

After dropping the bike off for its service Trish wanted to visit a 'material' store.  I visited the Ray's Outdoor store nearby and bought some slip on sandals.  They are made from leather and were less than 25% of the $89-99 price on the ticket attached.

From there it was to Maroochydore for a quick look around a "Big Buys" store.  We managed to find some odds and ends to spend money on before heading to Mooloolaba Surf Club for lunch.  For $14-50 we had a "Senior's Meal", open slather at the carvery for roast vegetables and a free pot of beer or glass of wine.  We both had "Fish and Chips" along with a liberal side serve of roast vegetables.  We will just be having sandwiches for tea tonight.

By this stage the bike was ready to collect and I just wanted to pop back into Big W for another pair of very inexpensive but incredibly comfortable shorts and a shirt which can be worn outside my trousers.

We eventually arrived back home mid afternoon.  It was a cooler but extremely pleasant 28 degrees or so and I am pleased to report the pool is beginning to retain its warmth a little more.  More hot weather is expected later in the week.

I have a Community Association Meeting to chair this evening.  Following the meeting we will be back into a couple of TV Series.  One is Series 4 of "The Tudors" and the other is "The Bridge".  Two episodes of one followed by two episodes of the other manages to fill the TV watching night in perfectly.

All Quiet On The Sunny Coast

Warm weather has again returned to our part of the world with it expected to get to low to mid 30's today.  However several recent very cool nights with temps in the low teens means the pool loses any heat overnight that it has gained the previous day.  It was a little over 21 degrees in the pool this morning after my bike ride.

It is quiet on TV now without any AFL footy on to watch.  Tonight is the NRL Rugby League Grand Final which can be like watching a version of cross country wrestling!
 
Those who have visited us here may remember my inflatable seat I have used in the pool.  It was a gift and it has lasted me years.  Unfortunately, as with many things around the pool, time has caused it to wear and become less resilient to grand kids.

James put his foot through the cloth insert recently during their stay and despite sewing it up again it looks like it is only a temporary fix.

Currently it is still able to be used but now a "ladder" has appeared in the cloth as well.  You can no longer purchase this model/brand here anymore.  It is a U.S. brand and if I wanted a 'like for like' replacement I will need to purchase one from overseas.

Computer Club was reasonably quiet yesterday with me being able to help most people.  However there was a smaller crowd there and I was able to get home well before lunch.

Last night we watched a movie called "The Heat" starring Sandra Bullock.  Though not a high 'scoring' movie Trish and I sure got a few chuckles out of it.

It is a holiday here tomorrow for Labor Day.  And for me the cricket is back on TV again.  Unfortunately the forecast from Sydney (where the current matches are being played) is not that positive for playing cricket.