The Annual Review

The ROBOT blog has been around for almost a year.  How do you measure how the blog has gone?  The stats page says the blog is approaching 700 views and their spread is originating from various countries around the world. I have contributed 90 posts including this one, more like literary gems HaHa.  The comments section has been bleak, not much action to report there.  A goal for the next twelve months is to get a few comments.
Also I will try to expand the repertoire to include my own cartoons.  I have stolen one recently but at least 99% of the photos are all taken by me. My old mate Pablo does a good cartoon, it can't be that hard. 

Team Sarcomere in action last century

NOK NOK Who's there?

Have finally figured out the tethering option on my Nokia Windows phone.  Very handy if I am trying to upload this post whilst down at the beach. Mind you there is no shortage of mobile phones therefore network choices for getting my laptop onto the internet.  I can't last a couple of weeks without an internet fix. A few years back and you were happy listening to the cricket on the radio. We have more relos coming off the ferry from the Light Side to visit us on the Dark Side. Some of the lads have just left for a day of fishing and kicking back at the end of the pier.  There are two tents outside to cater for the overflow.  Even the Plovers are being crowded out.  But you wouldn't have it any other way.

Plover Town

Beach Migration

The annual beach migration has begun. Things just have to happen in a certain order. Cricket,  yachts, booze, bikinis.  Having said that something different needs to be introduced as well.  We used the pool for the first time since we had kids running around here. It has had  an upgrade whilst we were over at  the beach and now claims thermal heating status. Not to mention the water feature.  Other upgrades here include older vans being replaced by three bedroom houses loosely camouflaged as mobile homes despite not having wheels and being assembled onsite. Ours doesn't have wheels either but they fell off so it isn't the same. We are looking closely at our own upgrade, Such luxury not having to walk 200 metres for a shower or run off into the bushes for a pee.

Pool is a school

Festivus for the Restofus

We organised a sit down lunch for 23 of us.  Three tables extending out onto the deck accommodated everyone just nicely.  Even found 23 chairs including the piano stool.  Other stats included 80 potatoes, 2 rolled boned turkeys 2 chickens and a ham on the bone. Strav has out done himself with that ham cooked on the barbie. It was the best.  There was the traditional pudding  but the new dessert on the scene is the Tower of Melon. If its good enough for Pinterest then its good enough for me. Only took an hour or so to carve and create.  The big tips on this culinary culmination are to pat down the tower to remove excess moisture and whip the cream into a stiff frenzy before application.  A new crowd drifted in for the evening with another 16 for tea, so it was a long day but a good one.

Tower of Melon

Oshannassy Race

ROBOT recently featured our visit to the Pont du Gard. Those Romans weren't the only ones to build aqueducts.  I went for a ride yesterday on the Oshannassy trail. The trail is actually the maintenance road that was used in construction of the aqueduct back in 1911.  When I started work at the Board of Works in 1977 the aqueduct was in full production and I can remember the water flowing on one of the rare occasions I got into the field.  Now that it is completely replaced by pipes the previously restricted road makes a good walking and bike track.  Mind you some of the access points are marked steep on the map and they aren't kidding.  We had to walk the bikes up the side of the hill before we got onto the nicer riding gradient.  The race was shut down in 1996. In 18 years the dilapidation has been fast. I don't think this one will be around in another 2000 yar.
We rode 12 kms along the trail then zipped down to Warburton to complete our circuit via the rail trail back to Launching Place. Couldn't resist stopping at the Home Hotel for some lunch and a brew.

Cog café

Sluice gate

Display your Date

 Around this time each year I finalise my calendars. These days I release three versions each with a theme. There is always a Swimsuit theme and also a Coast theme. This time around I have devoted a calendar to our recent Lord Howe trip which is really a combination of those themes, as being an island with lots of beaches and snorkelling you can't avoid the coast or the bikini. I would always leave it to the last minute in case I took a photo late in the year that demands to be included.  I used to have my own html code that described the linework in detail. Then I positioned the photo and printed each page including an index on the back cover displaying how each page looked. 
 Much consideration was given to the design. Should the calendar be portrait or landscape as well as the displayed photos being either portrait or landscape. Should I hang it from the bound edge or make it twice the size by hanging from a porthole. These days I do the cheats method by using the magic dots to mount a photo onto a preprinted calendar. I should start a separate page to display some of my calendar efforts from previous years.

Index from 10 yar ago



Miss December 2015

Now that I think about it I should also produce an index page, like the one above, to help summarise the last few years where I have used the magic press on system. 

Back to the Future

I may have had a future view of my back.  In my early IT days the heaviest thing I lifted was a printer.  They made things solid then all steel frame and 50 Kilos at least.  My back has been dodgy ever since given the following years of lifting servers and monitors as big as washing machines and just as awkward.  Yesterday I was nursing a similar aging back. This one was 20 yar older than mine and belongs to my father. The backcrackerman was brought in to rescue the day but intense back pain is no fun. I had never seen acupuncture used before. Seems like a good compromise by getting to the internals of the problem but not leaving any marks compared to the previous V featured on ROBOT.

V for Victory

The ongoing skin dramas have entered the final stage.  All the stitches came out yesterday and the Doc is happy with his work.  A circular section of face was removed about the size of a 50 cent and a stretching was required to cover the hole. Seems this has to be done in a certain way so as not to pull the surrounds of the eye out of place meaning that both eyes still look normal.  Now we just have to get the healing happening without the scarring. 
AARHH  How do you ease the fact that you are now a pirate face?  You go straight to the jeweller's and order a gold ring to be made complete with 36 points worth of baguette faceted diamonds so that it complements your existing rings. 

The V

Ratification

Lord Howe Island is having a ratification and I don't mean some form of officialdom saying the island is now legit, although this ratification has involved much planning and paperwork. It was 1918 when the SS Makambo ran aground at Ned's beach.  That was the day that rats made it onto Lord Howe island and they have been paying for it ever since. The ratification is the complete eradication of all the rats and the 9$ million cost will be for nought if just one pair survives.

The process has been tested on a nearby uninhabited island and was completely successful.  There are over 50,000 rats infesting LHI and one of the more famous victims as previously mentioned on ROBOT is the Phasmid. The rats take out flora as well even on top of Mt Gower where the rarer palms fruit, the seeds do not reach the ground as the rats will climb the palms and strip the new seeds.

Pairings of wildlife have been collected over the last few years and poison as been introduced to their diet to build up a resistance.  2015 will see an air drop of poisoned rat baits that will completely cover the island. Even when the rats are gone the Phasmid cannot be reintroduced as its natural predator the BooBook Owl has also been wiped out. Phasmids would explode over the island and remove its foliage. So one of the steps is to remove the previously introduced Masked Owl which would allow the less aggressive BooBook Owl to survive. If its not one thing its something else.

The old rat baits

Ball's Pyramid

You would think a 570 metre high lump of rock sitting just over there would be easy to see. It seems there are boat tours which will get you closer which I think I will try out next time.  My first sighting was from Malabar Hill at the very north of the island. The atmospherics plays a part in this because the shape was more of a church spire all steep sides and towering above.  Two days later from the side of Mt Lidgbird there is a platform near the Goat House cave where you can get a view of the Pyramid.  We looked hard and despite a clearish day could not spy the rock. Yet another two days later we were coming down from Mt Gower this time we were above it looking down and there it was. However this was a squat shape nothing like what I saw earlier. Finally on the plane heading out we saw a dark shape in the water almost black but very distinct this time. 

Rocky Apparition

End of an Era

Sold a business today. Its been a year in the doing but only in the last two weeks has it really started happening. Of course "She who must be Obeyed " being the principal figure in all this had to work her butt off from Lord Howe Island.  Such is the technology that a small laptop and an internet connection made it all possible. They have no mobile phone coverage on LHI so Skype was used heavily.  At least when you need a break you can go and have a snorkel with the turtles. When a buyer is ready and wants to buy now then there is no alternative even if you have booked a trip away six months previously.  Its just another step on the road to retirement although SWMBO has got plenty more for me to do.

Just a Ride to the Office on LHI

Phasmid Central

In Dick Smith's early days he arrived at Ball's Pyramid with a scout troupe to climb the rock.  It is the 50th year since the climb and he is going back for a photo to commemorate the feat in 1964. There were numerous photos taken back in 1964 but one in particular showed a dead creepy crawly bug that was being eaten by ants.  This photo lay dormant for over 30 yar until someone in the know who could recognize the bug as a phasmid was flicking through the photos in 1998.
Entomologists were getting excited. It took some years to get through the red tape but eventually a crew was allowed back on the rock and settled down for the night. Sure enough phasmids were alive and well and out of the reach of rats that never made it over to the rock.  Four were taken and sent to Melbourne zoo where the re-education began and the harvesting of eggs.  Phasmids are back on Lord Howe island now but hidden away in boxes and chicken coops.

Phasmid

Lord Howe

Spent the last 10 days on Lord Howe Island.  Henry Lidgbird Ball was sailing past in 1788 taking some of the first fleeters out to Norfolk Island when he spotted this one. I guess naming it after the navy's top boss at the time was a good move as he end up becoming an admiral himself much later. I didn't take out any travel insurance. It's only 1000km off the coast writes he who had to change the return dates twice and pay extra accommodation.  It seems stormy weather combined with a mountainous island, a narrow airstrip and a smaller plane don't mix. Resulting in 30% of all journeys to and from the Island being disrupted in some way.  I'll remember that next time.  There is much to do here and we did not cover the list properly so a return trip with insurance will be required.

Mt Lidgbird left Mt Gower right

Do the Sutures suit you?

Richie Benaud has had his dramas over the years but the latest is skin cancers. He is 25 yar older than me but the result could be the same. I am getting bits removed now even though I have been wearing a hat for the last 20 yar. "She who must be obeyed" has been spotted by the sun as well.  I just get the scars but she is getting the plastic surgeon.  They don't really use plastic  do they.

Do the Sutures Suit You?

 

There is a yellow yoke

that gives the skin its glitches

It doesn't seem a joke

but I am still the one in stitches

 

Dr Phil has spied a dark patch

so he's used his nasty knife

and now I have a crosshatch

but I guess its saved my life

 

As I'm standing in my skin

I can see the scars that grin

they seem to have a style

when I move I make them smile

 

So the heat is good for beaching

but there is something I am teaching

when your laying out in situ

just hope the sutures suit you

 

 

 

Crosshatch

 

 

 

 





Plastic Surgeon required

Murrindindi Revisted

Turned out to be a hot 34 degree day for the stroll (climb) up to Wilhemina Falls.  Even though I had been in this area before I had not seen these falls. They are more of a gusher across the slabs than a direct fall but still well worth the walk.  The approach is a tad sanitised with a number of steel staircases and chain link aids.  The old saw mill sites have been converted into camp grounds (user payment system at the reserve entrance) complete with shaded picnic tables and revolving hotplates over the firepits. This generation of walkers are spoiled.

38 yar ago we made a bed out of fern fronds and had an hours kip at 1:00 am before moving on to find more control points and ultimately the hash house (Now Fern camp).

Fern camp



Couldn't resist a paddle at the cascades seeing it was a hot day.  Yet another old sawmill site that makes for a good picnic area.

Murrindindi Scenic Reserve

I am off for a walk tomorrow as part of the retiree's ramble to the Taggerty area. I paid a visit to the archives and found that in 1984 Mt Despair was the site for the Victorian Rogaining Championships.  I dug back a bit further and found the first ever MUMC 24 hr walk I went on. It was 1976 and just to make sure you were alert Mt Despair was check point number 1. These events required walking in order so straight away we went up the side of the hill in gungho fashion.  On arriving at each checkpoint and I quote "you will find a jar containing, a raffle book, a pencil and a razor blade".  Those were the days  if you couldn't pay for your raffle ticket then they slit your throat. HaHa.

 The Website Murrindindi Scenic Reserve map is 1:50000 the same scale as the Taggerty  sheet we were given 38 yar ago.  I have overlaid both to match them up and the start point back then is now called Ferns Camp.  This was Hash House B. We spent the next 15 hours or so roaming around to eventually arrive at Hash House A, an old sawmill. I have plotted some of these points on the locality map. I wonder if I can still find them.





Murrindindi Map

A Reading Milestone

About 8 months back I mentioned the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. I was about half way through at that stage but today I finished the final book, Vol 14 A Memory of Light. Perhaps it would have been better titled a Memory of Start because I cannot remember exactly when I started reading this yarn. It is certainly the longest tale I have read and took me at least a year to get through it. This may be the longest ever written at over 10,000 pages. What is the longest story ever written?

Guinness Book Of records says Marcel Proust with his 13 Volumes of  "Remembrance of Things Past" is the longest.  However this does not even crack 10 million characters. The approximate total for Wheel of Time is 20 million characters or 4,056,130 words. For comparison Harry Potter comes to 1,081,170 words for 7 volumes.  Well at least there are other books I can read.

Sign of a Retiree

For the first time I went down to the beach on Monday and came back on Thursday because I could. Also the temperature got into the 30's even if it was Oct.  Going for a ride around as you do I can't help but notice the surfers who must have numbered in their hundreds. Car parks were busy, I though it was a Saturday.  Now there may have been a percentage of retirees out there but the vast majority could not have been retired.  Later  I passed the golf course which was choked with players.  But like the surfers I only got a distant view but in this activity most would have to be retired.  I took my time going through town and took note of the action close up. 
Coffee shops were bulging, many dog walkers around and other walkers, particularly women in pairs. The conclusion is clear, the majority of people out and about are not retirees.  So why are they there and not working their butts off.  I believe I could recognise 6 retirees in a 2 hr bike ride, leaving out the distant surfers and golfers.
She who must be obeyed reminds me to move on but it does seem curious.

Midweek beaching

New Bike with Technology

My fingers are bent in right angular ways and holding onto bike brakes for a steepish longish hill can be a strain. I recall going down the Madonna de Ghiscallo and having to pull over to give my fingers a rest. Hence the welcome addition of hydraulic disc brakes. These are meant to be a breeze to squeeze.  I am not prepared to go up to $3000 for electronic gearing, although push button gear changing also greatly eases the hand strain.  Maybe when I upgrade the road bike in 5 years time the price will be a lot lower.  In the meantime a Giant flat bar hybrid cross city Roam for under $1000 will do the job.  The availability is weeks away but I need to try a test drive first.

Giant Rider

PS the previously advertised antique carbon fibre bike is now unavailable.

Bike Tech

I have been considering bike technology in fact "antique high tech" may better describe it. This bike was sourced as parts via the internet 20 to 25 yar ago and then assembled.  The trispoke wheels are still striking as you don't see many around.  I had it appraised and the bicycle is still sound with no major issues however in the end I have opted not to buy it.  I can spend a bit more and get disc brakes, similar light weight alloys and a guarantee as well.  If anyone is interested then this machine is for sale. As for the new machine I am now on the trail. 

Carbon Fibre Antique

The seat post is loose and maybe the pedals could be replaced but otherwise it is good to go.

Modern Expiry

I'm going from aqueducts that last thousands of years to servers that only last three or four years.  Even only 20 yar ago if you bought a server it would still be going 20 yar later.  We installed a server made in 2009 upgraded it to SBS2011 and thought we have a good run for at least 10 years. Not so it seems. Our server is being rebooted every Sunday to get it through the week.  Also the pressure is on to move from owning your own machine to renting the services you need via the cloud. There are no more SBS servers for small business! If you want a server then join the big boys and get an entry level Foundation server for around 10 Grand.   The Computer Nerds (Am I one of those?) are pushing you onto Office365 so for the bells and whistles at $25 per head per month means we are up for $3000 per year which is more than the cost of our server five yar ago. We are going to take the first step and install a NAS device which means at least our data will not be in the cloud.

Stone Circles

I am always attracted by the really old stuff.  Above San Sebastian in the hills are a series of stone circles. These were placed by the megaliths who no one seems to remember around here. I have seen this sort of thing elsewhere and it seems to me that once a good idea gets out there then you can't stop it. These circles are like the town hall, good for meetings, Druid Knees up, beheadings etc.  I think it all started with a fire place. One day someone thought lets expand the ring of stones around this fire so we can actually stand inside. The rest is history. Stone circles spread all over Europe. 

Simon Says

You Tube really means you can have your own TV show.  But having the means and actually doing it is the difference. There is that in between category where you turn on your TV and hunt through the community type channels to find some amateur funnies.  Simon Taylor has found himself on the Bowen show.  I recall Mike Myers and his cohorts were doing pranks on TV chat shows before "The spy who shagged me" graced the screens. Same thing with Jim Carrey who was paid to pull faces on TV before he pulled them during films.  But its the films that delivered the pay day even though I don't particularly like those films. Maybe Simon Taylor will work better in his films when the time comes. Bowen lane runs through the centre of RMIT. I spent many a time in Bowen lane during the student days. Didn't think it would show up on TV.

Devil's Bridge

French driving in the summer in the south of France involves many cars. Add in varied toll gate adventures and you need to have your no phasement travel face in a calm place. Bumper to bumper is common even on freeways but it will pass. The choice of destinations is endless and varied. Today it was the Pont Diable mainly because we could cool off.  It doesn't matter how remote or hilly or dry, those ancient religious types will build a church anywhere in Europe. St Guilhem is one of them.
Seems St Guilhem was having trouble getting the bridge built because during the night the devil was knocking down all the work that had been done during the day. He went down to the bridge one night and confronted the devil. He said why don't you just help us make the strongest bridge ever. The devil said yes but wanted the soul of the first across the bridge when completed. St Guilhem agreed so the Devil got to build the best bridge but St Guilhem sent a dog across first. Try as he could the devil couldn't break his own bridge and ended up in the water.

Pont du Gard

1. I have seen a few impressive engineering feats in my day like The Burj Khalifa, the Sydney Harbour bridge etc but it is the old stuff like the Pont du Gard that makes you think how did they do it without a crane. They did have an assembly that lifted stuff so it was a crane of sorts.

Swiss Time is Running Out

Took the series of cable cars to the top of Mt Titlis. There is a lot of ice up there. -6 degrees when we were running around and the glacier ice is a blue colour. On the way down we got off at Trubsee and spent three hours waking down to Engelberg. The trails are well marked and the network is extensive.  Some luck is needed with the weather although we did venture out in overcast conditions for another three hour walk to Swandd and Bergli.

Desert Sand meets Disneyland

One thing about Dubai in summer is that the resorts aren't that crowded as long as its not the end of Ramadan. This means that the water parks are relatively queueless. Get there at 10:00 am just to be sure. The electronic wrist bands are getting better. Open and close, lockers, pay for lunch, gain access. Tip number, two stay at the water park's hotel. Unlimited access and through the resort doorway.

Before you go Syndrome

I wonder if this has been diagnosed as a medical condition or at the very least the subject of a thesis on time management, whereby everyone else wants to make your date for going away into their deadline to get some project or other done involving you.  I am now beginning to think that the best way forward is to put about a bogus date.  Not sure how well this would work as the inevitable build up would occur a bit earlier around the false date.  It may achieve a plateau effect where their stuff drops off but your immediate tasks take over, typing blog entries included.

Unreality BLOCK TV

There has been a bit of a to do about tradies lately and whether they can get things done in time. I have been surrounded by tradies over the years including this particular cabinetmaker. It doesn't surprise me that these cabinets weren't installed in time given our experience of him a couple of years back.  Yes on the one hand you have a chance to show your wares on national TV so you would want to get it right, given a lot of people are watching, however it was only one day late. Ordinarily if you were putting in a new kitchen and said cabinets were installed a day late, I wouldn't be making too much of a fuss, especially if they are quality.  This proves to me that trying to make building or renovation into a competition is unreality. Awarding of prizes and judging a kitchen refit is an artificial exercise completely foreign to most tradies.  And the hosts didn't even get the sales pitch to off load three fridges.  Kevin McCloud would have a fit at the idea of racing to finish by a timeframe  rather than doing it right but taking longer.

Lying in Counterpane

Whether sleeping fine or lathered
Deep beneath the quilts are gathered

Stuff of skin and hair and other
So much of it nightmares smother

Dreaming of the beasts that smite us
All just there in sleep's detritus

Counterpane is a land of dread
Where sleep walkers never leave the bed

Very small but mighty motes
Living, breathing in our throats

So do not toss and stir with grievings
Sleep in peace with the body's leavings

Proof Reader

Spent the last two days doing some proof reading of a new book. Not something you do every day. In this case the proof  is a penultimate copy of the text prior to printing.  Seems in the old days etched plates, known as proofs, needed to be carefully checked before going to the printers.
Michael Gerber knows how to get those practical notions down into words, not to forget the co-authors, one of which is my wife. She has done a marvellous job building her enterprise and is the main reason I am typing this now as opposed to being out doing the daily grind. 
 Doing some proof reading isn't as hard as writing the thing in the first place but if you are working in a practice and would rather work on a business then read it numerous times. If you have a head for business or want to change direction or just make a better return on your bookkeeping then this book is for you.

Marathon Man

I can recommend the I-view method of watching some Games events.  For one thing there was only two ads at the start of the broadcast, after that uninterrupted and dedicated coverage of the marathon. Mind you the organisers in Glasgow ran the men's and women's marathons in a staggered arrangement so the coverage swapped from one to the other.  Not to mention that the aussie Michael Shelley pulled away from the Kenyans for a memorable win. So those Africans can be beaten to the utter amazement of the English broadcasters. The quality of the display was a noticeably chunky in full screen mode however the half screen option was passable and with no extra charge, you can't argue. This is where pay tv will get its competition. I have been on cable internet delivery for years but when the NBN gets around the place, live streaming will really become a better quality flood.

Bomba Roof Top

I guess I don't get out much but there seems to be a rooftop phenomena around the place.  I know its still winter but this is more of a room with blinds that enclose. You can look down onto the scene below on the eastward side while keeping the weather out from the westside.  We seemed to be a little over the age bracket judging by the other clientele but we'll show these 20 somethings something even though we did leave at 8pm.  The group having a party because their friend had come back from Paris is another new one to me. It used to be a going away thing but now it seems the coming back is also a party starter. I guess I don't get out much.

Sleepless Southern Syndrome

Trying to keep up with a few global sporting activities is a bit of an eye lid breaker lately.  Its a good thing the overnight recording to hard drives has been perfected. Orica Greenedge has been in a form slump not to mention Sky as well. At least there is one aussie that has flown the flag.  A few medals are flowing from the Commonwealth Games now so its not all bad, including world records. One of these days I might try my own grand tour of sorts eg a progressive tour starting with the World Cup in Brazil then move on to the Tour de France and finish off with the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.  Mind you I'm not that much into the soccer but going to a World Cup is a Bucket List thing.  I do have tickets to the next Cricket World Cup but I don't have to go too far for that.

No Q's in Kew

Found myself in an old Kew stomping ground, really a waiting ground or transition area where bike riders came in and paddlers went out during the JLL. You would wait here until the Team Sarcomere bike arrived then having swapped the bib, would run the boat only 50 meters before queuing up because of the narrow entry point on the bank of the Yarra.  I always promised myself I would ride back here sometime to see where some of these other tracks go.  Interesting riding on the dirt sections back to Wilson Reserve. The other interest was riding past the Kew Pumping Station. I no longer have keys for all the gates here but I did deal with a lot of people's business in there. The ride this time was 39km.

Slippery When Wet

I've had many close encounters of the wild life kind on the beach and yesterday was a first.  Although I may have seen this guy before.  We were doing our jog when I spied a seal high up on the dune. It was a small one compared to some of the giants that we saw at the Pope's Eye. For some reason it was trying to get over the top of the dune and into the grass.   Our jogging isn't particularly fast however the closer we got the harder it tried to climb but armed only with flippers and facing a wall of hard sand it kept falling backward.  So then it was a bee line to the water back to the comfort zone as it were. There did not appear to be any injuries. Only the day before we had argued with a dog owner to leash his dog as it was chasing endangered plovers on the same stretch of beach.

Darebin Ck

Did a midweek ride yesterday. Found my way across to the Darebin Ck trail.  Turning south the trail goes as far as Heidelberg Rd with a new cycle bridge under the bluestone road bridge.  Quite a sight.  The trail goes cold here even though the Yarra trail is just across the way.  State Govt policy suggests there will be a link here by 2030 and bicycles might fly. Given the money that has been put into a number of trails I do think this will happen.  In the meantime I might try the Boulevarde next time as I saw some riders going that way. This outing was 34 kms in 2 hours, a slow improvement. 

Spa treatment

It's been a week since the "Hit the Wall" incident.  Recovery has been aided by the spa tub on the back deck.  Takes a bit of work to keep the water pristine but after a year of wrestling with the black art of spa pool maintenance I think we now have the gist of it.  The secret is to shock it after every use and be patient about letting the water clear. Also don't ignore cleaning  the filters regularly.  Having used the tub three times this week the water has massaged the sore area. I rode a modest 22 Km this morning but was happy just to finish.  We called into St Ali's on the way back but with a 40 minute wait to get a table we weren't that thirsty. The other note to make was the guy who was towing his son. At the lights the son got off to press the button. The father did not realise this and crossed against the red lights leaving him behind.  This kid must have been only five and was about to chase after the father who was oblivious to his son not being on board.  So we saved a life today. Now to find another coffee shop.

Abrasive Tour de France

TDF is often a good travelogue, gives plenty of ideas for the next time you happen to be passing through France. Those pavé have caused some trouble again.  It makes you think of the farce that those Soccer players go through when a slight knock sends them screaming and everyone waits for 5 minutes until the magic spray fixes them up and it was during the World Cup which is more embarrassing. Compare that to the TDF riders. Three crashes in two days at 40 km/h, welts, abrasions and sprains on all parts of the body then you often get up and continue for another 100 plus kms of riding.  Tuff Stuff.  I am still hurting from the bounce into the wall incident (see airborn below) but I should be able to get on the bike tomorrow.

Alignment of the Planets caused Follow Through Incident

Went to a show called Elemental. Can't remember the last time I went to a planetarium. This was more show than science.  A lot of poetic license was used to illustrate the lastest thinking on weighty matters like the cosmos and bikini design.  All the theories were mentioned Big Bang, Dark Matter, String Theory.  Sometimes a big bang is known to produce dark matter.  Whoever introduced strings into the design of a bikini is to be commended. This also was known as string theory with the final conclusion being tied into knots. Quite a juxtaposing revelation when most problems require unravelling the knotty part. 
All in all the show was worth a look. The use of live music whilst gazing at the night sky brought back memories of walking across an outback plain in South Australia some yar ago. The night sky was so big it seemed heavy with the stars.  Trying to navigate a straight line that night was harder because we just kept star gazing. 

Controlling the Air Traffic

I have done some training in my day. Years ago in school if you got at least a mark of 50% then you passed. Not too long back I studied for a Microsoft test which required a minimum 72%. This seemed a bit rude to me at the time, especially after I got 70%. The course admin said I was only one question off and I would get it next time I sat the test. But first I had to pay the course fee over again which would eventually get me back to my second go at the test.  No thanks.  In that case I saved a lot of dollars and never had to revisit the constant updates required for certification.
Take the case of training for an Air Traffic Controller (ATC). Over a 16 month period every course requires a pass mark of 100%. My daughter has been sweating through this and has now come out the other side. Hooray. No mistakes allowed when the stakes are sky high, as demonstrated in one episode of Breaking Bad eg  90% mundane 10% terror. The ATC scene is a bit of a boys club but the real show is now on.   I know the sky over the Indian Ocean is in good hands.

Airborne Supremacy

I have a rib problem.  Mostly bruising I think, but it is a pain to breathe. I did some trampolining last night.  It is a tricky business. Some would say that retirees should not be bouncing around in purpose made jumping socks. Dodge ball is OK lots of padding there. Jumping into the pit of foam is easy to get into but getting out is another story. However, beware of the professional rigs with unpadded walls designed for landing on aka Cirque du Soleil style.  I jack knifed into the wall rather than gaining any purchase on top of the wall. Then there is the added problem of landing back on the tramp and bouncing around a bit more in a semi stunned state.  All in all a dizzying experience but there is still some physicality in this retiree.

Offline maps for travelling

My windows phone has an app called Here Maps from Nokia. This is now available on Windows 8.1 and has an offline option allowing you to download any country's map in the world.  I still use the TomTom for in car navigation while travelling but this is a good backup and maybe handy if you are walking the back streets of Rome and you have the tablet in the backpack. It is a freebie app from the windows store. For subsequent map downloads you need to search for the location first and add it to a collection then a button allows for downloading.

Casey Golden Trio

We checked out the Jazz Club last night.  An intimate venue which lets you get close to the action.  The Casey Golden trio were certainly jazzing the place up. All their own original tunes as well.  Room for a grand piano, drum kit  and somewhere to stand at the bass left the small stage fairly tight. As well as the ABC jazz guys recording for their radio show. Jazz is a different style for us given that we would travel kms to hear Jethro Tull.  Showing my age here again.  This trio work well together. I notice lots of eye contact as part of the concentration to ensure the timing is true. This is calm listening compared to ACDC but well worth going along to the Jazz Club.

Cold Snap

Someone suggested that as the days start getting longer then that starts the cold weather in earnest. So far this theory is holding true. A half metre of snow in the hills and cold toes just walking around the house. I have a theory about cold feet. After I went for a run yesterday (only about 4 kms) for the rest of the day I had warm feet.  It was as if the blood flow kept pumping long after I stopped jogging. Doesn't work that way on the bike feet and hands are like ice.
I warmed things up by advancing my cooking prowess. A self sourcing chocolate pud no less.  However when the recipe says use a mixer for the ingredients don't try one of those very fast whipping tools.  There is always use for a good whipping tool but the slow mix master style makes a good mixture. The chemistry of this pud is amazing when you put a bowl full of boiled water into the oven and out pops a pud.

Shortest day

I think the technical term is Winter Solstice. Not that I should be pining too much for Summer given the bright sunny day that turned out even though it was short.  This is generally observed by naked dancing around Stone Circles in some places around the world. I did see some bare footed joggers on the beach this morning.  The other celebration was the annual card night at the beach which this year's theme seemed to be bacon and lots of it. Yes cards were played and some World Cup action was being displayed but interspersed with more than one bacon cookup.  "Ahh the serenity" was heard as bacon sandwiches were being downed in bliss away from the prying eyes of wives.

It was 56 yar ago

She who must be obeyed (SWMBO) turns 56 today.  Am I allowed to put that here? Not a bad looking sort for well over half a century.  Perhaps being born during Winter explains why we need to escape to the beach so often.  Mind you this is a mild winter if ever there was one. Just finished a 6 km walk and sunglasses would have been handy.  Being an older part of town, your old corner store is a candidate for the coffee shop revolution. Karulo's has been around for a year but we have only just tried it out.  Good coffee good eggs. My cake baking skills are coming out again for the birthday cake.

It would give you the sheets

Some of the new duties include bed making, not that it is all that new having done it before.  My brother in law has given up bed making at home due to the strict standards of his nurse wife. I am finding similar issues.  Everyone thought bed making was solved when the fitted sheet came on the scene. When you have got arthritic fingers those fitted sheets are painful.  We have multiple sheet sets that need to be rotated on a regular basis.  This schedule is not written down but is rigorous.
There are no less than 7 pillows on the bed for display purposes only and must be arranged in a certain way.  Patterns and lines matching the doona which is also never used.  All of this equipment must be removed and stacked elsewhere in the bedroom each night and the "in use" pillows removed from storage. If you have to get up in the night then beware the fluffy obstacle course. Having settled in for a well earned sleep it seems the blankets have been tucked too deep at the foot of the bed so after some pulling and tugging we can get on with it. 

Fire Site Revisited

Long weekend internet access means I'm typing this on a tablet with wifi slow connection speeds. This is a laborious exercise.  Am just proving to myself that mobile updates are possible. Tally Ho then. Visited my sister in Darawiet Guim. The fires there earlier in the year were nasty. They had good preparations with very little excess fuel,

 

eg keep your grass shorn to the ground and radiate out as far as you can and I mean 100 metres and more. When the fire got to that boundary it basically stopped as there was nothing to burn.  That didn't stop embers from hitting nearby trees and the house itself.

Also having a water tank on the back of the ute allowed for putting out spot fires. This went on for four days. The greenery has returned now but there are still some fences that need to be repaired.

CGI Management woeful

Had one of my old work mates over last week. It must be about two months since I gave them the boot.  My inside man known as Deep Neck (deep throat was his brother) informed that 40 workers were recently sacked. Seems a bean counter was looking at time sheets and anyone with "unassigned time" got the boot.  However unbeknownst to this numb nut another numb nut deliberately put unassigned time against fully assigned workers because his bids were so far under bid his projects were looking very bad.  And those workers were shown the door.  I have seen some incompetence in my day but this is the ultimate.

Hosting the Super Sec

We have been hosting one of our workers from the Philippines over the last week. I always wondered how the grammar worked in order to get the word Filipino from Philippines.  One issue put to rest is that Kangaroos are not bounding through the big city streets.  Although they aren't far from the airport at Gellibrand Hill.  In this case a quick trip to the zoo satisfied that urge as well as Koalas for good measure but if there was more time I would have gone for an extended expedition requiring some hours of roaming. 

Of course the super secretary had plenty of work to do during the one week stay before returning to Manila, including two seminars to help out with. Other mysteries defied explanation like Aussie Rules but then we are all getting confused by the rule changes in that game.  It will be interesting when we get to the Philippines next year but we will be the vanillas, the vanilla in Manila.

Munster saves the day

Went for another ride this time over to the Dight's Falls area.  I crossed town via the rail trail using the old Inner Circle loop.  Many riders were using this path including large groups of retirees.  Hooray this group is allowed to be there on a Thursday morning however the purpose built coffee shop was crawling with non working non retiree bike riders.  Curious. 
Dights Falls  has had some reconstruction  with converging paths and numerous bridges.  I need to reacquaint with the layout since the JLL days.  I would hesitate to cross the river as there is an on going bicycle war by somebody throwing tacks onto Yarra Boulevard.  This got a mention on the Giro coverage last night from half way around the world when it was reported that Shane Miller was on the job looking after cyclists in the area by using magnets to suck up tacks and also getting the police involved.  Unless Munster has shaved his head then there is another Shane Miller patrolling the Kew area on the lookout for the testy tack thrower.

Fish Slapper

High temperatures are a lingering issue. Nothing consistent but a mild heat problem has occurred twice two weeks apart. Every test for the source of an infection has been tried but nothing has been found.  Someone suggested the Royal and Ancient Order of Fish Slappers. When you have been to the conventional doc then what's to lose.  I wasn't present at the examination however the divining of the fishes has indicated a lurgy deep in the stomach. You need to keep an open mind on this stuff even if you need an open wallet to pay for the medicine or should I say Metagenics. 

Bactrex is a football sized pill consisting of amongst other things Origanum Vulgare and Thymus Vulgaris.  A vulgar concoction you may think but actually Oregano and Thyme.  I put this in the spaghetti sauce each week!  Then there is the powder that gets to the heart of the problem named "Gut Relief".  I don't think the marketing boys have spent time on that name.  I would prefer "Guttural Elevation". This one has numerous components, a favourite of mine is Ulmus Rubra. All in all if the temperatures stop then slap me with a fish, I'm hooked.

AFL Getting Soft

I can't hold back any longer.  I seem to be less interested in AFL these days, I think the trend towards keepings off is the biggest issue. I was watching Essendon vs someone I think it was Sydney who were well ahead when the ump went down with a slight crunch from a player.  It is an embarrassment when the players stage for stuff but this umpy was not moving until he was carried off. Of course later there was nothing wrong with him. I tried to count how many doctors and trainers there was gathered around but after 10 minutes of waiting I gave up on the match. Tommy Hafey moved onto a higher team last week and I am sure his last message of  "kick it long" should be picked up by all coaches.

Giro D'Italia

Have spent some time juggling between recordings of the tour of California and the Giro D'Italia. The OGE guys are in the spotlight with Cadel Evans highly placed as well. Go the Aussies!  I managed a short ride averaging 13 kph  for 30 km, a tad short of these riders at 45 kph. The Run the Map app does a good job of recording the route and calculating the stats. It seems to me if you could mount a phone near the head stem you could watch your route as you progressed complete with your own stats and warnings about upcoming hazards instead of the very awkward sticky taped bullet point list that one rider was trying to read as he careened down the wet road at 70 kph.

Google Map layers

Work expands to fill the time available for completion. So if the word gets around that you supposedly have some spare time then do jobs start appearing.  The evidence so far seems to show that trend.  Not that there is anything wrong with that. I may be looking for things to do down the track.  Anyway the database from the old part time job which now receives more of a focus has a spatial aspect. The clients listed do not have co-ordinates but the address can be used one at a time to build up a google layer.  I may try this to over lay a route around Europe.  After 5 days of effort I am getting close to finishing the client layer.  The number of tools that are available on the internet for general use is growing and Google are continuing the trend.

The Forrest at the Port

Finally got on the bike but only after I retrieved the faithful treadley from down the beach.  I still need to get a second machine organised at some stage.  Made my way to the recently reconstructed Princes Pier.  Talk about concrete meets wood.  The new half and the old half .  If you were expecting something akin to Santa Monica or even St Kilda, think again. No carousel at the end of this one. There are a few binoculars to check out passing ships though. The model posing on the deck was OK.

If I knew you were coming

The upskilling knows no bounds. I have made a chocolate fudge and it seems to be of a high enough standard to be present at next weeks Mother's Day gathering. Normally on such an occasion I would be there to devour said cakes, however this is a turnabout for the blogs. I did have some help from Betty Crocker.  I think Anzac biscuits could be the go next but I have a year to practise.

Turkey Ride

I spotted an old town on TV that I had visited last year. The 50th Tour of Turkey has a new leader with Orica Green Edge taking a one second lead via Adam Yates. Throw in the win by Simon Gerrans in Belgium last week and OGE are on a roll.  I make a point of touching something old when travelling around and Turkey gives plenty of options. I think I will have to add a drive of the Turkey coastline to my list.  Lots of ruins within easy reach. Those Romans left stuff everywhere. Another thing about the Ephesians when the sea started retreating they didn't put up an Air Tax, they tried to dredge the harbour but even then climate change got them and a few hundred yar later it was all covered for farming. If they were still around I might write them a letter "Congrats on meeting climate change head on". Someone already wrote them a letter.

May Day May Day

No I am not posting a plea for help, although the cleaners were here today to give things a spiff up. I played my part with a huge blow job. This is only a recent addition but it is handy for blow jobs. When I used to sweep leaves and general detritus I would use the broom to make a pile then shovel it into the bin. Now with this blowing machine it becomes someone else's problem. Eg you can stand at one end of the drive and simply blow your way out to the street and hey presto it all becomes other people's dirt. OPD's. It was a calm day so blow back wasn't an issue.

Catch of the Day

A while back ROBOT mentioned catching snapper off the beach. Well this time the more adventurous approach of taking the chartered tinnie 10 kms out was used.  It wasn't this land lover retiree who took to the waves, although I did do some swimming with the dolphins and the seals recently.  Anyway with a few minutes to go No 1 son scored. A 2kg Snapper took the bait and that was dinner for four. Mind you because of a flat battery and an alarming increase in the wind strength the boat was a good two hours over due. Lakes Entrance is  a fishing town and they have the fish to prove it.

Tablet Tales

I have been playing around with an Android JellyBean Tablet. These marketing guys really need to have another think about some of this labelling.  This one is a cheapie from Bauhn but my main use was to display photos, slideshows and home videos.  There isn't much control over the slide show timing. The DayDream mode seems to work the best where a continuous display can be started while the unit is recharging. Even then a message pops up from time to time saying DayDream has stopped working. 

Working with Micro SD cards is also tricky. I have seen the miniaturisation of components over the years but these really are small. I bought two and as I was swapping one out of its slot I wasn't paying particular attention. This is the tip! Pay attention. I used a thumb nail to depress the card but turned the ejection into a slingshot mode without really watching. At first I wasn't sure if I had pushed the card deep into the unit. But two days later I found the card where it had been flung to.  Now how to store these wafer like media.

Easter Surfers

All the Pros are gathered at Bells Beach but I can tell you there are plenty of Wannabes at 13th beach.  Maybe while they are all waiting for the semi finals to start at Bells they have wandered down the coast to do a different wave. Trying to ride your bike through that gauntlet is tricky. As well as sand encroaching in places and constant two way traffic, bicycles rate low on the safety list, although some cars were hanging back for a better place to pass.  This is Cadel country but when the surf is up bikes come second. Maybe surfies talk to each other through the tube as well as ride through the tube. Somehow the word gets around and thousands of wetsuits are there.

Almost Passive Income

I used a laundrette in Geneva once. It may have been the only time I have used one. We had just finished a three day bike ride around Lake Geneva.  Those clothes needed a wash.  It wasn't that simple to use but one of the locals pointed at this button then that button and soon we were washing.  My brother in law has just opened the state of the art laundrette that is automated in everyway from controlling washers and dryers as well as doors and cameras, all from his mobile phone.  There is a certain amount of maintenance.
This approach is not the same as writing a book and then sitting back with your feet up watching the proceeds mount up.  This is an engineering marvel, importing machines, solar systems for water, security systems everywhere, electronic lighting and advertising, Wi-Fi for the customers.  A lot of investment and work beforehand.  Now if you put your feet up you can wash your socks at the same time.

Routers and ADSL

Spent two days in the office tracking down why there was no internet access. It stopped at 9:30 Saturday night.  Our Netgear router was about 5 years old.  Newer ones have more  LED indicators but looking at this older one it seemed OK.  Replacing components one at a time, I swapped out the phone cable then the ADSL splitter then tested the phone line by sending a fax.  So by the end of Sunday it was time to replace the router.  It was the middle of Monday by the time I sourced and bought a new one. 
We have generally used Netgear for our business. The DGN2200 had a rope style LED indicating activity back in the exchange as well as the internet activity LED.  So straight away I could see progress because the rope LED was lit but the internet was still off.  Router TIP take screen shots of all relevant configuration pages before your router dies.  By the time I got onto the service provider for the required username and password and all other required settings another day had passed.  At least the grey matter is still ticking over in retirement.

Does anything go slower than a wet week?

Only if its your first week in retirement. Mind you we needed the rain.  At least we have now run out of tests for finding feverous faults. Endoscopes have been inserted in various orify at both ends. You wouldn't want them meeting in the middle for some sort of focus group.  These things remind me of the war of the worlds, snaking around corners investigating as you go.  Hopefully the heat will go out of this problem.  What happened to the Doctors who went sideways with their camera? It rectum.

the Mobile

Years ago a mobile was something you hung over the baby's bed to keep her amused. Up until the retirement day last week, I never gave mobile phones a second thought.  I always carried it mid-week and put it away most weekends.  It's only been a week into it but already there is less distinction between weekday and weekend, they are all just days.  I am tempted at not having a mobile phone at all however have been reminded that there will be no hiding from the new boss.

It is a bewildering choice of plans, phones and platforms, the three P's.  I was just getting used to the Nokia Lumia 520 windows phone before I had to give it back.  Too bad about having to learn a new phone number.  The "a may sim" seems to be cheap enough.  $20 per mth shouldn't break the Trust.

Cunning Stent

Being able to spot a mild heart attack before you get the big one is a skill worth having.  Then once you have done your own diagnosis the doc agrees you did a good job because now you require three stents inserted into your coronaries.  This would have to be the ultimate glass half full scenario.  Call it Life Half Full.  The first half has been well spent and now there is a whole second half still to go.  Mind you those stents are probably the most expensive springs you would ever buy but it is worth it.  Nothing like getting a spring put back in your step.  That was brother number 2s story.
Meanwhile in another hospital brother number 1 is having muscle twitch irregular heartbeat issues. A quick zap of the heart muscle to give the ticker a reset and the beat is on.  I have heard of brother in arms but this is something else.

Game of Thrones v Game of Houses

George RR Martin spends a lot of time getting it right before keyboard goes to screen or should that be book goes to print.  In the meantime I have been wading through that other story, even bigger than Game of Thrones if that is possible. Wheel of Time is perhaps not more detailed but more wordy.  I am about 6000 pages in with approx 5000 to go. Daes Dae'mar seems to be the maneuvering element that is common to both stories. I used to know it as office politics or power broking.   

I noted the reference in Season 4 Episode 1 of GOT to Duncan the Tall. Joffrey in one of his rare lucid moments is reading the Book of Brothers and comes to the page describing Ser Dunk but is impressed by the need of four pages to cover his lifetime deeds. All in the room including Jaime Lannister acknowledge the mighty Dunk. 

Every successful TV show always has a follow up series 2. There is a penchant for going back and filling in the storyline explaining how we arrived at the current plot. It happened in Star Wars it happened in Star Trek.  I predict GOT Story 2 will be set 100 years or so earlier showing the Targaryen's at their height and Ser Dunk doing deeds.  The main issue could be George taking 100 years to write it.  I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more of that earlier history has been put to paper in order to write this epoch.

Tour of Flanders (Mayhem)

ROBOT has mentioned cobbles previously.  These are a silent killer.  We have friends of parks volunteer groups here who do a job maintaining parks for the love of it. I can understand how there are conservation groups in Belgium restoring and repairing sections of cobbled road. Why does it have to be in the countryside?  There are sections of former cobbles completely resealed in tarmac. At the same time there are narrow twisting shapeless sections that the Tour of Flanders requires 100's of riders to squeeze in four abreast. Certainly does make for some spectacular crashing but is it necessary?  You have to hand it to Cancellara he can ride a bike however I have never been too impressed with the arrogance, particularly since that day he was demanding Cadel Evans get back in the pack and not join the breakaway.

Dreadded FUO

The Fever of Unknown Origin has struck again. I am calling it UFO Unidentified Feverous Origin. We have got the infectious diseases doc on the job this time. Speaking of infection, back at the ranch I am dealing with a bout of Conjunctivitus. It first started with the throat three days ago and then the ears constantly ringing and sore and now the eyes are oozing sticky mucus. This stuff is highly contagious and I am meant to be washing my hands often.  And this is supposedly my first official day of retirement.  I haven't been sick for a long while to the point where I have forgotten what its like. I will be getting my flu shot just to make sure. This is no fun.

Game tradition

Spent the night around at Munster's for the time honoured round of 500.  This would be up there with sittings of the Knights Templar or ceremonies of the Freemasons.  All the trappings are there, black elixir, celebratory hand gestures, disguised names for all involved like Xsanguinator, yes you read correctly the taker of blood. There was also Hostyle, BigBird, Flying Dutchman and Hairy who flew in from Sing Sing.  These gatherings have been going on for a good 20 yar and may well continue for another 20 yar.     
            
                                  Everything goes with Zammie including nothing

Receipt and Invoice Scanning

In my capacity as chief technologist for bookkeepers, I checkout the progress on scanning of receipts etc . Five years ago I  had a look and the best then was a system where you had to describe the region of the document where the item you wanted plucked off was located. This was ok if you had hundreds of those receipts and if you have that many constant transactions you would be better off with a direct e-business arrangement. Years ago E-commerce referred to the electronic transmission of financial documents eg sending orders, getting receipts. These days E-commerce means having a web page where you can sell stuff.

This time around the Neat Company is getting closer. They even have a hopper to load different sized paper. This system uses OCR but there are still too many mistakes in the scanned numbers to make any time savings because of manual corrections.  If a bookkeeper can accurately feed through 100 receipts and this software can pick out relevant numbers like Total Cost and GST and place them into a file and there are no mistakes then you will have a winner.

There's also the  Certify Mobile Company where you can take a photo of the receipt and up to 15 items are extracted to a file. They are cagey about how this is done but there is meant to be no human involvement.  I would rather see the results go to my local device rather than be sent to the cloud for a fee.

Maybe in another five years we will have scanners where the DPI will be such that 100 documents will get 100% recognition rates. You can always cut out the middle man which brings us back to E-business or more likely E-receipts.  The E-receipt company will send receipts electronically and you will have your own cloud account where these transactions are stored.  Bookkeepers could save a lot of typing if they had access to that.  Not too far off everyone will have cloud account created when you are born.

Don't believe the Zero company hype about bookkeepers disappearing into the Internet.  Bookkeepers will still have to sort out the mess.

Official Retiree

After 38 years I have resigned my position. It's a strange feeling.  Most mates I know have significantly changed their working lives in some way by now.  Either totally stopped work or down to two days a week or a completely different type of work.  I will still be working for "She who must be obeyed".  Now I'll have my feet up for the next 20 years! Not!

Friday Biker

Got the old mtn bike out of the shed. Flat tires, rust in places and the pump broke after two or three plunges.  I found another old pump which also broke but got that one fixed so that I could actually pump up the tires. The teeth are bit worn on the back cluster but managed to ride it for an hour or so. Check list

• fix the main pump
• replace the cycle computer battery
• the bell ringer has gone as well
• rear cluster issue

The Black Sea

Focus is on the Black sea lately, first Sochi now the Crimea. Those Russians never take no for an answer. Always wanting the warm ports that never freeze over. Since they were beaten off when the Brits teamed up with Napoleon 160 yar ago the Rushkies have been steadily infiltrating to the point where the Crimeans have forgotten who they are.  Mind you there would have been a lot of work provided for the locals in developing those ports. I wouldn't want to cruise the Dardanelles until this blows over.

Fever Pitch

Glandular Fever is a tricky business.  You may not know you have had it until the blood police have found a trace of it from six months ago. In the mean time you are feeling a bit hot, a bit tired, a bit slow but you work through it.  In the back of your mind you might think "I'm getting a bit older I'll put it down to that."  One thing we will have to do now is keep better records so any questions can be answered accurately. And no kisses or spitting in your eye, saliva is the fever's friend.

GeoCaching

I tried my hand at Geocaching. I have resisted this for some time as any self respecting Rogainer and Orienteersman would poopoo this in a flash.  Knowing the co-ordinates and having a device to lead you by the nose to the location would have Nigel Aylott turning in his grave.  There are other differences like having the target object hidden from view. The skill is navigating to the correct hill top but with this you are lead to the hilltop then you have to find which tree it is hidden in or under which rock.  It could be a stepping stone to try Rogaining but finding your own way is more entertaining. Nevertheless it does get you outside. 

HOSPITALity

Hospitals are odd!  You don't want to be there but you go anyway. On this occasion blood is taken at regular intervals, as well as peeing in a bottle not to mention the biopsy chunk out of the back.  No mention of crapping in a beaker so far but I guess they will get around to it.  And all in the quest to discover the source of repeated high temperatures. The scones are good though. I don't think Bali has got anything to do with this problem as our visit there was four months ago, however the first sign of a high temperature was after we got back from there. That place has got issues. 

Friday Nights

Friday on My Mind  has been considered the best Australian song of all time. 

'Wednesday just won't go
Thursday goes too slow
I've got Friday on my mind'

Not Easy to Beat these lyrics.

Its good to sit on the deck watching the bats cross the moon, as surreal a sight as you could find and you still have the rest of the weekend.

EuroSport Biking

The EuroSport channel is starting to broadcast the Road Cycling. There are already some cobblestones being featured as well.  Can't say what the attraction is for riding across those! I have ridden around Lake Geneva and there are not many cobbles along the way there. Each town does have its own Lido though which is good for a cool off.

Long Week End

Spent a warm weekend at the beach. Also checked out a winery cum restaurant at the Bistro on Banks.  The grounds were drier than a Lubra's loincloth. The usual arty exhibits were dotted around and the food was worth the visit. Contrast this with Foxey's on the other side of the bay. All greenery and lushness over there.  Also cooked our tea on the beach. Hostyle barbied up some large salmon chunks and the fisherman nearby were a bit nonplussed. The first catch was a stingray that went back into the water.  However harmony was restored when two snapper were hooked on the same line.

Apple Tax

No not a tax on apples although we are taxing air lately.  I notice the taxman has been looking at companies sending profits overseas. It seems a $1000 IPAD has over $300 of profit going to Ireland. Good thing I bought a Bauhn tablet. Does much the same as an IPAD and only cost $200. I never liked that synching method of file transfer.  Apple are most likely on the slide anyway and there are no JOBS for the Apple boys this time around.

Tulla Train Link

Every few years a train link to Tullamarine gets mentioned. A favourite option is a monorail finishing in the city centre.  A rail link of some sort is certainly needed however the idea may have been jeffed*  because in signing off on the CityLink toll roads there was a clause that said no new public transport for the length of the toll period. There is probably 25 years still to run on that. There is a disused train line which runs close to the southern airport boundary, a ready made corridor.

Jeffed - Adj  to be the subject of a decision made by a certain politician named Jeff

George Bass Coastal Walk

Spent the day around Kilcunda.  It takes between 2 and 3 hours to walk the 8 or 9 km along the George Bass trail.  The walk is mostly cliff top but with at least 2 beaches to walk along.  In Kilcunda you can bring lunch for a barbeque or try the pub or café next door.

Space the Final Frontier

Spent the day working on "Space the final frontier".  In this case inner space as I find room to get my  progeny back in the house. Its amazing where you can fit stuff if you have to. Under the stairs, under the house, into storage.  At least I will be missing for the real heavy lifting tomorrow. Gong to check on George Bass.

BLOG about Nothing

Seinfeld openly admitted it was a show about nothing. I went over to the StumbleOn site and placed a link for the Stumblers to find me back here.  They were suggesting some keywords to describe this blog. I was only needing two, "Nothing" and "Everything" but neither was there. I guess some posts are about nothing but others are about something.  Already I can see some page views from the Stumblers but no comments left.  There must be a keyword list around here somewhere I can use on Google+.

Is there anybody out there?

Was that a Pink Floyd line from beyond the Wall?  I will have to look closer at these sharing options.  Maybe the Pic of the Day has to be a bikini girl. That always attracts a crowd on Flickr and on the beach.  I notice the Dalai Lama has weighed in on "Global Warming". He reminds me of the delinquent teenager who was mistaken for the world's top climate scientist. His minders have overlooked telling him that the term is now "climate change".  Maybe he should stick to preaching.

Opinion Sports

ROBOT agrees with the view that some of the events at the Olympics are a bit of a yawn.  If you can't measure it, time it or score in it then it shouldn't be there.  Yes it is very skilful. Don't ask me to do a double axel with triple twist whilst wearing ice skates. I would most likely cut off my fingers. But because you have to hold up a card with a 9.2 or a 3.1 that the judges whim decides then maybe these events should be moved to the opinion games.  Mind you under that definition Curling still gets a showing.  Maybe there should be an added rule. Any sport where you can wear slippers cannot be called a sport. 

To Blog or Not

I'm not retired yet but this seems a likely project that might keep Alzheimer's at bay.  Not sure what will attract an audience or even if I want one.  I have been working four days a week  since last year and will try to add a post from time to time.  Having access to this while travelling will be a good thing.  It occur's to me that keeping the posts short could be a good thing as well.