Happy New Year 2006

Please click on this link for posts from January 2006 and later:

http://mmvii.blogspot.com/

Seafood Delights

MDR went spearfishing yesterday and bought back a haul of Leatherjackets, Cuttlefish and Kingfish. The object of this fishing expedition was to catch Dolphin Fish (Mahi Mahi) but apparently the only ones they could find were too small.
MDR cooked the Cuttlefish & Kingfish last night, sauteed it with a bit of chemoula seasoning. MB made a Tahitian style poisson cru with one of the Kingfish fillets, simply marinated strips of the raw fillet with lime then mixed it with coconut, capsicum, tomato and coriander, it was all so fresh and tasty..... Hope that gets your mouth watering!

Book Fossicking

MB needed some "alternate" retail therapy today so MDR dropped MB at Goulds Bookshop in King St, Newtown and then drove further out to Auburn to check out some woodworking tools.
MB was delighted to find this fantastic shopping precinct, just outside the Sydney CBD (inner west). It features quite a few second hand bookshops, lots of diverse restaurants and loads of other funky shops. It's very much like Richmond/Prahran in Melbourne.
Goulds is a huge barn like shop with books stacked up to the rafters. The guy at the counter looked like Jabba the Hutt, sitting up behind his high counter. The sales assistants on the floor were even more entrancing, with one sales assistant, complete with unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth, offering assistance, then lighting up. To MB's surprise he was smoking a joint! Amazingly liberal down here in NSW....
After quite a bit of fossicking MB bought a bunch of books and proceeded to check out the other shops in the area. When MDR got back lunch was had at a Vietnamese restaurant, great cold spring rolls there.
Just got back to the "Forest" with 30mins to spare for a shower then off to Dee Why for a super pasta dinner at Livotti's Deli with Marcie, Nes & Dan. Missed the chef abusing some other diners... Nes told us about it as were leaving, damn!

Free Oysters & Boxing Day on the Harbour

Boxing Day in Sydney - We watched the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race yesterday, caught a special ferry from Manly. It was pandemonium on the water, boats of all sizes jockeying for position, quite a spectacle, MDR was in his element of course. Our ferry stoppped just short of the heads so we got an excellent view of the yachts coming up the harbour and turning to go through the heads and south to Hobart.

Today it was time for a hike to burn up some of that excess festive food. MB dusted off her Leki and MDR & MB drove down to Forestville (less than 10 mins from Frenchs Forest) for a bit of walk in the Garigal National Park. After a gruelling 3.5hours in the 30c heat we made it back to the car. We ended up doing a circuit via a very nice park under the bridge at Middle Harbour. Luckily there was running water in the park as we only took one water bottle, we were pretty unprepared!

Apart from the heat the walk was very scenic, the park surrounds Middle Harbour, and our walk started at Carroll Creek which runs into Middle Harbour. The first leg to the hike was very easy, mostly along the edge of the creek and then Middle Harbour to the park. Marc was very interested in the free oysters on the harbour bank (pictured above) Returning back, we took a higher trail to complete the circuit, it was the hottest time of the day and most of the trail was in full sun. Eventually we reached a grotto which had water dripping down from what was perhaps a spring. This was a life saver, we were both so hot and bothered and down to our last few sips of water in the communal water bottle. We refilled the bottle a couple of times and cooled off under the water, after that we only had about 20 minutes of walking to get back to the car.

The dip in the pool at our house sit in Frenchs Forest never felt so good!

Christmas in Balgowlah

We had the most wonderful Christmas Day with Aunty, Uncle & Cousins in Balgowlah. Sydney turned on a beautiful summer's day, 29c and clear skies. Aunty had a very busy program for the day with a boules challenge in the backyard first up. After lots of games consisting of various teams, and many convivial drinks plus snacks, no clear winner emerged.

Christmas lunch was outstanding, Aunty created a feast of roast pork, turkey and ham with the most beautiful trimmings. Dessert was a sensation too, brandy snap baskets with fudge ice-cream and berries. Amazingly enough after stuffing ourselves full of food and drink we were still able to play a game of poker on the new poker table (someone's christmas gift, not sure who's though....) Cousin Nick was given a fantastic set of World Series Poker Casino chips which we used in the game. We played Texas Hold 'em Poker and were given a bunch of $1 chips, luckily Cousin Dan had a copy of the rules, this prevented what could have been some heated agument! After at least 3 hours of play Cousins Nick and Dan were left, lots of banter and mind games ensued between the rival brothers, but Dan emerged as the victor with all the chips.

The final event in the schedule was viewing an hilarious episode of One Foot in the Grave on the super giant TV. We were all pretty fatigued by then so we trundled back to base at Frenchs Forest.

On the Road

Left Cairns 11:30am Monday, arrived in Buderim 18:30pm Tuesday. Very hot weather all the way down, but beautiful and green after Mackay. Overnighted at a value motel in Mackay which was surprisingly nice and comfortable. The Passat loves the long drives and is really very comfortable, MDR pretty happy as he could listen to the cricket for hours on end. He didn't really like my Michael Palin talking CD of the "Sahara" series...

The towns and cities are all very interesting in their own way, lots to explore for later when we have more time. We stopped at Gladstone for lunch yesterday, had the most fantastic 500gm steak & salad for $12 each (beef cattle country). I loved the main street of Childers, lined with beautiful Leopard trees which are all in flower. Rockhampton is a lovely city too, tourism hasn't blighted it yet.

We were hoping to be Bohdanised when we got to MDR's brother's house in Buderim, but the little one was over on his weekly sleepover at the grandparents. Leaving today for Sydney, via Armidale.

Photo of Hinchinbrook Island, 2 hours south of Cairns. Tried to take a photo of a bull in Rocky, but we were driving too fast!

The Night of the Loud Shirts

We celebrated Marc's 50th Birthday with a really fun crowd of friends last night. If you take a look at the photos you'll understand the title of this post. The party must have been good, we ran out of beer and had to send out a scout for more (Thanks Cooper!). If the comments of the guests are any indication, the venue was a great choice and the catering went down a treat. If any of you are reading this, please oh please leave a comment, would dearly love to hear your thoughts, asides and anecdotes....

Looking for a Unique Gift?

Sydney artist and author, Ivana McAlpine, has produced a sumptuously illustrated book chronicling the tragic 19th century true story of Mary Watson, a pioneer settler on Lizard Island.

MB met Ivana quite serendipitously when Ivana responded to MB's advertisement in the Manly Daily in 2004. MB was looking for some holiday accommodation located near Aunty's in Balgowlah. Ivana lives very close by in a wonderful home near Fourty Baskets beach, an idyllic location, and was able to rent the ground floor of her lovely home to us.

Ivana's art is superb and the premium quality of this publication make this book a must have, Ivana has self-published a limited number of these books which are for sale for AUD$15.50 each. You can contact myself or Ivana to purchase.

Wasting Time Looking at other Blogs

Everything Pizza

Diverse and adaptable. You enjoy the full buffet of life. It's hard for you play favorites with friends... or flavors. There's very little that you dislike!

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Do you see a food obsession happening on this blog?

Apple Pie Anyone?

Fresh apple pie with butter shortcrust

The Absence of Customer Service in Cairns

Can you imagine how frustrating it is when you place a special bread order for catering and the Bakery calls you up the day you're collecting it and tells you they've sold it to someone else!

The bloody baker then offers to supply the same order the following day but that's useless as it's needed before then, so then the baker offers to sell you something you don't want, you'd think if they valued your business they'd offer you a discount or even offer to supply a replacement without charge.

This sort of event is becoming more and more commonplace, makes one's blood boil.... (Do I sound like Victor Meldrew?)

Personal Space & Queues

Don’t you hate it when you are waiting in a line to be served and the person behind you invades your personal space? I had to buy some padding today for an upholstery project at home so I went to the only haberdashery chain store we have in Cairns. After searching for ages I found a roll of the required padding and lugged it to the counter for cutting. The staff in this store are very slow and inefficient, which is bad enough, but it got even worse when this barrel shaped woman with a walking stick parked herself behind me. She was wheezing and breathing all over me and tapping her metal tipped walking stick on the floor, so I edged forward slightly to give her some space, however she just moved up as close as possible to me as she could without actually touching me. I tried moving again and sure enough she was following and wasn’t going to give me any space. I silently cursed and endured this until it was my turn to be served, luckily the roll I had was just the right size so I quickly paid the correct cash amount and moved away. As I was leaving I heard the space invader rifling through her handbag for ages (which she could have done while she was waiting in the damn queue!) then she started demanding something with a pronounced eastern European accent. That was when I realised she was probably a professional queue stander from Russia or somewhere similar.

ahhhh Donnini's

A tribute is well overdue to our favourite restaurant in Cairns, Donnini's Ciao Italia at The Pier. This restaurant is one of those rare gems that consistently delivers "the goods". The food is divine, the service is very slick and efficient and the staff are wonderful, and so loyal. Pictured here is Marc's lunchtime dessert today, a strawberry and mango trifle made with marscapone. We've enjoyed countless visits to Donnini's for well over 10 years now and have never, ever been disappointed.

Hydration Packs?

I just saw an advertisement on TV tonight from a major hotel chain advertising hotel accommodation during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. The ad featured a famous Aussie swimming star promising everyone who books a "Thorpedo Hydration Pack", no further details given though. I'm intrigued and it got me to thinking would this perhaps be some of the swimming pool water he has swum in? Any suggestions?

Podcasting

Anyone out there actually downloading podcasts yet? True to my pioneering spirit, I'm now sampling this new medium. The term "podcast" is a real coup for Apple, I get the feeling many folks feel they must have one of those cute looking personal digital music players produced by Apple in order to access a podcast. Not so, it's just a matter of downloading a file (usually MP3 or WMA format) to your computer, just as you would any other file. You can then play this file on your computer, assuming of course the computer has a sound card and speakers. What I've been doing is copying a bunch of "podcast" files to a re-writable CD and playing it back on my stereo system. It's excellent for downloading and listening to programs I've missed, particularly on ABC Radio National. It also opens up access to very interesting content from radio stations all over the world.

Holly Doggie

Holly was a bit miffed to see another hound appearing on her Mum's blog. Here she is this afternoon after a refreshing dip in the river at Goomboora Park, a refuge from the 34c scorcher in Cairns today.

Howl's Moving Castle

Great movie, beautiful animation, very cute story. Four stars (out of 5) from MB.

The Prodigal Son

Pictured here in Japan at host dad's (next to Paul on the left) ambulance station.

Invasion of the Puffer Jackets

Another "Puffer Jacket" theme photo! This time it's MDR on the road to Ben Lomond ski fields in Northern Tasmania. The road up to the ski field is called "Jacob's Ladder", for good reason too, it's a very narrow dirt road with really tight switchbacks up a terribly steep, rocky incline. Fortunately for us the road was dry, I'd hate to have tried to negotiate it with snow or ice on the road.

Marcia: Liquid Gold

Did you know you can buy a bottle of wine called "Marcia" from Trafford Hill Wines?

Strahan

MB got to do a little side trip to Strahan over the weekend, a very isolated port township on the west coast of Tasmania. Strahan is a hugely popular destination as it is located near the mouth of the Gordon River and is home to now protected Huon Pine forests. As you can see the township is picture postcard pretty. Getting there from Hobart entails a 5 hour drive through some very rugged country which includes the Franklin River National Park. Remember all the controversy throughout the seventies when the Tas. Govt. was going to dam the Franklin River? Fortunately the conservationists won out, the area is now a pristine National Park with stunning mountain scenery. I stopped at the Franklin River and filled my water bottle. The water is the colour of weak tea, but perfectly OK to drink, I hope!

Bluebell Inn

Here's the team after a truly superb gourmet dinner at the Bluebell Inn in Sorell, an oasis of jolly hospitality in a rather lacklustre township. Our host was so jolly he could barely stand, so a good night was had by all!

Moorilla Estate Museum of Antiquities

Last Sunday, after the excursion to the Hobart Races, VT & MB dropped into the nearby Moorilla Estate Winery for a coffee, but being 5pm the coffee machine was switched off. MB noticed on the way into the Winery a sign to their "Museum of Antiquities" and asked VT if the museum really had classical antiquities. VT confirmed such so yesterday MB & VT's dazzling mother, Halina, visited this museum and were astounded to find such an amazing collection housed in the most wonderful building by the Derwent. The collection contains some stunning pieces from Pre-Columbian South America; Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Levantine and Roman eras plus some beautiful African art. The coin collection is a treasure trove of ancient commerce and includes a hoard of Roman coins, pictured here in the pot they were found in. Anybody remotely interested in history will enjoy visiting this small, but lovely museum.

Cascade Brewery, Hobart, Tasmania

Cascades Brewery, Hobart, Tasmania
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

This has to be one of the most striking buildings in Hobart. Beer being such of such paramount importance caused this building to be one of the earliest constructions in the fledgling colony of Van Dieman's Land. MB walked to the Brewery from city centre via the very scenic Rivulet Walking Trail.

A Day at the Races

We had a tip for a sure thing at Sunday's Hobart Races, friends of VT had a geegee (Sonanda) running in the last race, so VT & MB decided to go along to lend some support. As you can see in the photo it wasn't a capacity crowd. Velten cleverly forgot to bring some cash so MB had to make a small loan, thus enabling both to have a bet. Sonanda led early and looked very promising but just couldn't last the distance, came in 5th! Hobart Race Course is in a very scenic location adjacent to the Derwent River and has beautiful heritage grandstands, well worth a visit, better if you forget to take your wallet with you though!

The Domaine-A Dream Team

MB enjoying a tranquil smoko with the Domaine-A team, Michael, Liz and the irrepressible Ounooi.

Bottling at Stoney

Today MB worked the hardest day she has worked in living memory. VT's winery had about 12,000 litres of Pinot Noir, Fume Blanc and Chardonnay that needed bottling, so MB wanting a winery experience volunteered her services and reported for duty this morning at 08:00am. After 9 hours and about 15,000 bottles later MB was ever so glad she'd done all that weight training at the gym.

Alain & Velten

Alan & Velten
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

Two of the Leading Lights of the Coal River Fraternity of Vignerons.

Baboutie

Baboutie
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

VT cooked up a storm last night, we dined on a Malay-South African classic: Baboutie, a spicy-fruity meatloaf. He also got some of his secret stash wine out too, a Domaine-A Pinot and a beautiful German reisling of which VT reluctantly had to drink MB's share. With the delightful company of Alan, fellow Coal River winemaker, we had a great night.

Ounooi

Ounooi vainly trying to make herself invisible when VT attempted to take her to the vet for her annual vaccinations.

Sandy McCutcheon

Sandy McCutcheon
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

MB had the good fortune to attend yet another book launch today, this time at Hobart Books. Sandy McCutcheon, of ABC Radio National, visited to promote his new book "The Magician's Son" an autobiographical book of the author's life. He told a really touching story about a daughter born to him in the the sixties (in Ireland), who has only just recently found him, it moved me enough to buy his book. I have to admit I wasn't planning to buy it, I thought I might save a few dollars and borrow it from my library. He also talked about his many unsuccessful relationships with women over the years, and in the queue behind me waiting to have a book signed was one of those women, Sallie, she told me their relationship 30 years ago lasted all of a week. Tim Cox from ABC Radio Hobart introduced Sandy and Bob Brown also dropped in.

German Attention to Detail

Velten gallantly demonstrates how to use the Porcelain Telephone conveniently installed in the Gents bathroom at Maximilian's Brauweisen Brewery in Lahnstein am Rhein, Germany. Note the ergonomic raised placement of the apparatus on the wall and grab handles for those too inebriated to stand.

Tiger Fish

Velten's Dad, Jurgen, wrestled this beauty to the banks of the Zambezi after hours of frenzied angling. He was the toast of Zambia for weeks afterwards.

What does "Ounooi" mean?

Well Velten tells me: In the old days in South Africa the boers were called Bas (pronounced like bus) for the male and Nooi, for the female. Similar to Sahib and Memsahib in India I guess. The children of the Bas and Nooi were referred to as Kleinbas and Klein nooi, with the grandparents referred to as Oubas and Ounooi. There you have it, our Ounooi is still a teenager but will grow into her name.

Whiffy Wurst

There was a joyous reunion today at Hobart Airport, Ounooi’s daddy, Velten, arrived back from his Germany/France sojourn. This happy reunion was somewhat tainted by a very evil smelling backpack which Velten used to repel anyone that came into close range with him on his journey home.
Velten emptied the pack on arrival home and found one of his tins of boutique butcher’s bratwurst had alarmingly expanded, he opened it and the stench was unbearable, to us humans that is, but not Ounooi, she wolfed it down in a nanosecond!

Winners are Grinners

MDR was only back in Cairns for a few hours before heading out spearfishing. Good thing too as the 4 fridges at home are now fully stocked with fish fillets.

The blue one is a Black Spot Tusk fish and the other one is a Mangrove Jack. MDR tells me that the sea was flat and calm and that "it's the best day he's had for years".

Goodbye Ounooi

PB is reluctantly leaving Tasmania today and must say goodbye to Ounooi. PB will be heading up to Cairns for a few days before returning home to Hong Kong.

Tasmania turned out to be much better than expected. Weather was pretty kind and the fishing was OK too. Fell in love with Tasmanian Pinot's and grazed on some very fine seafood. Would definitely come back. If I had to choose between New Zealand and Tasmania as a holiday destination I think I'd choose Tasmania as they've really embraced the local produce concept. Getting local seafood and gourmet produce in New Zealand seemed a lot harder.

Auf weidersehen Ounooi and Tasmania!

Michelin Woman

On the way in to Hobart this morning PB noticed that Mt. Wellington was covered in snow. Sent a text to MB and, like an excited schoolgirl, she wanted to go and see the snow. Here MB seen emulating Michelin Woman in a tight fitting puffer jacket.

Unfortunately the snow Nazis had closed the road on the last section up to Mt. Wellington so we had to be content stopping at a car park near the top. Plenty of snow and lots of kids throwing snowballs and building snowmen.

Animal Farm meets Michelin Man

One of the joys of house-sitting is looking after the animals. Here PB hams it up for the camera with Ounooi the dog, a beautiful ridgeback, and Oliver the ginger tabby. Ounooi is almost as big as a shetland pony and she lives in the house with us. She's quite scary to look at but just a puppy inside. Oliver the cat, on the other hand, is a bit of a psycho. He loves to bite even if you are being friendly.

Notice I've got the puffer jacket on? Just trying to look a bit chubbier for the camera.

Tasmania - Daffodil Lovers' Heaven

Plan B

MB saw advertised in the local newspaper (affectionately dubbed "The Mockery" by Velten) an Open Garden day at a daffodil farm south of Cygnet, about one hour south of Hobart by car. Further research uncovered a 3 hour waterfall walk nearby. Sunday morning the weather was reasonable, if a little overcast, so she set out. The weather deteriorated until it was horizontal rain at the Daffodil farm. MB being the hardy soul she is was determined to see the daffodils and on arrival dashed from the car to the garden with an umbrella and spray jacket for protection. The horizontal rain however soaked her jeans, so after a few photos and quick chat with the owners she was away. Returned to Cygnet, found a pub and took herself inside to dry by the log fire. Scallops were on the menu and duly ordered and enjoyed in the cosy lounge bar. Rather quiet day at the pub, only one other table occupied. MB didn't need much convincing to cancel the waterfall hike, so consoled herself instead with Plan B, gourmet browsing, driving up the East side of the Huon Channel, stopping in at a Sheep's Milk Dairy then Peppermint Bay Providores and Restaurant. MB indulged in a Latte and Warm Cherry Clafoutis with Buttermilk Ice-cream - top marks. Peppermint Bay Restaurant has the most interesting menu seen so far on this trip. MB was bowled over by the absolutely wonderful staff who were so genuinely friendly and skilled. This combined with a superb venue makes this spot a must visit for anyone travelling to this beautiful area south of Hobart.

Tasmania Road Weather Alert
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Tasmania
WARNING Issued at 8:19pm on Sunday the 11th of September 2005 Initial warning for road in eastern and southern tasmania, including the Central North and Midlands. Motorists are advised that locally heavy rain may cause hazardous driving conditions during the night and at first tomorrow. Gusty winds on exposed roads may add to the driving hazard. For information regarding road closures, contact your local council or Tasmania Police. Next routine issue by 5am.

Ummmm... Oysters

On our first day here in Tassie, MB took Grace and I for lunch at a great restaurant called Barilla Bay Oyster Farm. The oysters were great and so was the food, wine and local produce shop. After stuffing ourselves with food and wine, we got some extra seafood to take home. 2 dozen oysters for $6.50 a dozen ($8.50 opened) and 2 Kilos of Tasmanian blue lip mussel's for $5.50 per kilo. Wunderbar! The oysters come from the water just next to the restaurant and the mussels and scallops come from Sandy Bay, just up the east coast.

We've been back plenty of times since to get more oysters, mussel's and scallops. Barilla Bay is about 10 KM's from Richmond and right next to the Hobart Airport. I'd recommend visiting this place even before going to Hobart, it's that good.

The World Famous Richmond Bridge

Just realised we've been here in Richmond for a few weeks now and we haven't yet posted a photo of the Richmond bridge. Well here's a photo of it above. Built to last by convicts who had nothing better to do. Very scenic and there is a beautiful park along the river on either side. There's a resident population of ducks and geese who are fed multiple times each day by locals and tourists. Would probably make nice pate.

The bridge crosses the Coal River which, supposedly, has some brown trout in it. I've been trying to coax one of these elusive creatures out of the river but so far without success.

Well worth a visit if you're in the area. Only 20 or so KM's from Hobart and also a very pretty town with lots of nice cafes and cottages.

All Wrapped Up

On the way back from Launceston, we drove up to Ben Lomond, the main ski fields here in Tassie. MB seen here all geared up for our snow visit. "It's been a crap ski season this year because of all the warm weather" according to the young guy in the ski lodge. No problem for us, we just wanted to see the snow and get a few photos.

After Ben Lomond, we took a shortcut cross country to the East Coast. The road looked ok on the map but turned into a gravel forestry track for 30 or so KM's. Not to worry, we made it to the coast in one piece. By the time we stopped for lunch in Bicheno the troops were pretty ravenous. Lunch was a huge pile of fish, scallops and chips which disappeared in record time. Delicious.

Temperance League

MDR & PB longing for a beer at the home of Boag's Beers in Launceston. Alas we were too early, 8:45am, the Boag's Beer Lovers Centre was only dispensing very highly priced merchandise at that hour.

On The Road Again

Tuesday, and we've decided to hit the road. Loaded up the family truckster and heading north, destination : Launceston. First, we drop the dog off (Ounooi) at the Domaine winery and then we follow the convict trail.

Around 11AM and we are getting hungry,it's been three long hours since breakfast. We leave the highway and scope out the town of Oatlands for gourmet cafes. No luck, but we spot an interesting heritage mill (photo above) and stop for an inspection and to take a few photos.

We climb the five flights of stairs to the top of the mill and marvel at all the other heritage buildings in the surrounding area. MB manages to bang her head on the low ceiling as we climb. Not serious though, she is still able to think about gourmet food. We press on to the next town.

STOP - Secret Men's Business!

MDR issuing explicit instructions to MB as the men discuss important business - catching Atlantic Salmon.

Here owner Stuart, informs PB and MDR how big the Salmon in the ponds are. He goes on to tell us that they are "no good to eat, only good for cat food" and lots of other interesting facts.

As we arrived late in the afternoon, we do a site inspection and vow to come back later in the week to coax out the monsters from the deep. Costs only $110 for 4 hours fly fishing including gear and instruction. Alternatively, you can buy the whole 18 acres for $450,000.00. Tough choice.

Sunday Roast @ Franklin

Today, Fathers Day, we loaded up the family truckster (Nissan X-Trail) and set out to visit the Tahune Air Walk via Huonville and Franklin in the Huon Valley.

MB spotted a gourmet yuppie restaurant sign a few miles out of Franklin and we decided to stop there for lunch, even though we had just finished breakfast. On arrival we were informed that "all the tables inside were booked but we could sit outside if we liked". Although the weather has been pretty good, we weren't quite ready to brave the elements mid winter in Tasmania. PB then suggested we have lunch across the road at the pub.

Above, you can see MB and MDR enjoying the beautiful log fire and some lovely Cascade Draught while awaiting the arrival of our "Sunday Roast". The meal was great and very good value. Well worth a visit if passing by.

Huon River Scenic Photo

Just had to Blog this photo of the Huon River behind the wood boat museum in Franklin.

The whole Huon valley is very scenic, like this and better.

Movie Star Looks

This is a great shot of Marcia "taking time to smell the roses" (plum blossom?) at the park next to the Richmond Bridge.

Take a look at that blue sky - magnificent! We've been lucky with the weather. Who'd have thought it would be sunny and warm in the middle of winter in Tasmania. Thank god for global warming.

A-Maze-ing!

We took Grace to the Richmond Maze thinking it would be a bit of fun. Wrong! You can see from the look on her face how much she enjoyed it. To be honest, it was a bit crap. Just plain wooden planks and a dusty track. Even worse, someone had taken a huge dump inside the maze - gross.

I can just imagine Grace telling her Hong Kong friends how much of an idiot her husband is for paying good money to get lost in a crap maze.

Walkies

Paul & Marc with Ounooi the Ridgeback. Ounooi needs lots of walking, took her to Waverley Flora Reserve in suburban Hobart yesterday. She got to chase frogs and generally frolic as dogs do. She struck a few hunting poses for our benefit but was always very coy when we tried to photograph her.

Lunch at Mt Direction

Lovely sunny day yesterday so MDR & MB set off on a hike to the summit of Mt Direction, just a few klm ENE of Hobart. The trail starts at the very picturesque Risdon Dam, the water supply for Hobart and southern Tasmania. Even with the sun shining we still had to kit up in enough gear to survive a polar expedition. The wind chill factor was extreme, however once on the trail and ascending the hill we warmed up. About one third of this trail is extremely steep and it was quite a work out, especially for MB. We bought some excellent sandwiches at the Richmond Bakery and really enjoyed them once we got to the summit. MB was a little disappointed though she couldn't get a cappuccino there, but the views over Hobart and the Derwent valley more than compensated. The hike took three and half hours, classified as "easy" in the guidebook we are using, a good walk for MDR & MB to "run-in" their new hiking boots.

Hong Kong Celeb. Spotted In Richmond, Tasmania

Glamorous socialite spotted recently in Richmond...

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

MB organised tickets to a book signing today, held at the Hobart town hall. The author was Alexander McCall Smith, seen here at left wondering who these smiling women are.

Grace slept through most of the talk but perked up amazingly when it was photo time. PB and MB giggled though a very entertaining 40 minute talk.

McCall Smith tempted us with a few secrets from his upcoming book. Something about big African women and cute blue evening shoes and the resulting problems. All in all, well worth going along.

Aurora Australis

One of the house sitting jobs here in Richmond is to take Ounooi (Ridgeback hound) out for a late night "nature call" before retiring. Ounooi lives inside with the humans so we can all keep warm. Last night PB and MB ventured out into the chilly darkness in our goosedown and ski jacket respectively. We both immediately noticed how bright it was outside even though no moon was out, the previous night had been absolutely pitch black. MB noticed long streaks of light across the sky and wondered if this could be the Aurora Borealis (it's actually referred to as Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere). Sure enough the next morning the radio news confirmed this had been the case. Truly an amazing sight, apparently caused by plasma gas explosions from the sun.

The Quest is Over

Browsing the shops in Richmond yesterday and found the biggest pepper grinder I've ever seen, made of Huon Pine and only AUD$220.00. You may remember the earlier discussion on this very topic in post dated 2 June 2005.....

Winter in the Apple Isle

Sunday 21 Aug 2005. Welcome to Richmond, Tasmania, population 800. Richmond boasts over 50 historic buildings as well as Australia's oldest bridge - convict built of course. Richmond is also the home of Australia's oldest standing, complete prison, another convict built gem. St John's Catholic church is also the oldest in Australia...... Enough of the heritage lesson.
Today's weather was spectacular, gale force winds and rain direct from Antarctica buffeting the house, the windows were actually rattling. I was lovely and cosy inside - what a great feeling.
I ventured into Hobart today to do a spot of shopping, it's about 25 klms from Richmond. My sense of direction seems to have stayed at home in Cairns. After I left the shopping centre I ended up on the bridge over the Derwent, the opposite direction to Richmond. The first exit off the bridge is the Hobart Botanic Gardens, the sun was out by then so I did a little jaunt around the gardens. There were Daffodils galore, putting on the most beautiful display. I also saw Peter Cundall's vegie patch (on Gardening Australia). The whole time I was there I only saw 4 other visitors, guess the morning storm kept them at home.

Low Tech Mobile Computing

I've been grappling with the issue of being separated from my computer for 6 weeks whilst I'm in Tasmania, even though I will have access to a PC with ADSL and XP. I do have a 5 year old notebook which takes about 10 minutes to execute a keystroke so I'd quickly become deranged if I had to use it for any length of time.

I'm not keen on buying a new laptop, the price you pay for a mediocre processing speed and tiny hdd is still very high.

My solution is to take all my important files and software with me in a portable hard disk. I found a fabulous 40 gigabyte pocket drive which is less than 120 grams. It fits in the palm of your hand! One really great feature of this drive is that it doesn't need an AC power cable, it only has one USB cable, so it's extremely portable. Another plus - software drivers are not required, the drive worked as soon as I plugged it into my XP PC. File copying time is excellent too. Cost under AUD$300.

The Race to Glacier Rock

PB @ Glacier Rock, Cairns
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

MDR, PB & MB hiked up to Glacier Rock today from the Douglas Track at Kamerunga. MB scrambled up the mountain with her new hi-tech Leki Super Makalu hiking pole (gift from PB). MB & PB were no match though for the Silverback, he raced ahead getting to Glacier Rock first. Hiking time, up and back, was 3 hours. Glacier Rock is just above the Kuranda Railway line.

Australian National Tree Day - 31July

National Tree Day is Australia's biggest community tree-planting event. Last year more than 250,000 volunteers planted a million native trees and shrubs at 3,200 sites Australia wide.

MDR & PB celebrated this special day by ruthlessly felling two palms from MDR's Dad's garden (PB said "It felt like we cut down a hundred.")

Melbourne Trams, Mentally ill & Random Violence

Melbourne wouldn't be Melbourne without a tram experience. Usually when I travel on a tram in Melbourne I attract mentally ill people who insist on sitting next to me and talking nonsense at me, so far they've always been harmless & non-threatening. Today I was travelling in one of those fancy, brand new Yarra trams going through Bourke St Mall. I got myself a window seat so I could watch the teeming masses outside. All of a sudden one of the masses broke out of the crowd (a young guy wearing a beanie) ran across the road and punched the tram just under the window of the seat in front of me, then ran off again. The chap in said seat didn't see this random act of violence but he heard it and nearly jumped out of his seat. I couldn't help smiling, but quickly reverted to the serious, aloof look that Melbourne commuters have to adopt.

My Son Rocks

hello:) this is miki here:p we r in yokohama 2day n saw movie:D ur son rocks lol hope 2 c u sometime!!!

Hibiscus

Hibiscus
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

Beautiful Hibiscus flowers grown by Corinne.

Auf Wiedersehen Sebastian

Auf Wiedersehen Sebastian
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

Sebastian's year in Australia has drawn to an end and he's just left for his long trip home. We are very sad to see him go, we so enjoyed having him join our family, he has become an honorary son. Pic of SB saying "goodbye" to our old, lazy dog, Holly. She just loves having her tummy scratched.

The Einstein Factor - Studio Audience

Watch this spot for SB's (aka the Procrastinator) witty & erudite report on our visit to the ABC Studios in Melbourne on 2 June 05.

Last day in Melbourne

Our last day in Melbourne
Originally uploaded by cyberoo.

Sunday 5th June 05.
After we checked out of our hotel in South Yarra we had about 2 hrs to kill so I dragged the boys along to the beautiful Botanic Gardens, which were less than 2 klms from our hotel. I couldn't help remembering our family visits to the gardens as a child. Our step-father was an avid gardener and couldn't resist collecting cuttings, causing me to cringe and try to make myself invisible!
As we were leaving the gardens MDR realised he didn't have his glasses. After we all had a turn searching the damn car and all the luggage he rang the hotel, they checked the room and luckily for him he'd left them in the room. We drove back and picked them up and still got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I was also the lucky recipient of MDR's wonderful backseat driving "assistance" on the way to the airport, as if Cherie wasn't good enough! Flying home direct on Jetstar was excellent, we scored front row seats and got to visit the Tullamarine Qantas Club lounge before we left. Mumsy xxx