Change of Calendar

Yes time to change over calendars. The last few years I have been buying magic dot calendars where you can print your own photos and attach them via the corners. I could not find any of them this time around so I tried an online calendar maker. They had a promotion for $7 so I gave it a go. Probably should have spent more time on it but it seems to have worked ok. You can arrange multiple photos in various positions. See the example months.

Coast Calendar - First Rock in Fog

Swimsuit Calendar - paddling El Nido Philippines

Nutri Bullet Breakfast

We have tried two goes at the Bullet breakfast. The first one turned out very green. I think it was the Spinach.  There were also green apples as well. The next day we had less green and more red as in strawberries. Also we did not hold the gizmo long enough to completely chew the ingredients so there were a lot of lumps. This morning was more drinkable rather than spoonable.

Spinach, 2 apples, banana and blueberries

Drone Rises

Yes we got the drone outside this time but the wind was a bit tricky. It seemed to want to fly in one direction only so the flying skills need a bit more work. The best idea is to be close to a power source but also have some open space. The controller is complex and is best worked using multiple fingers. I wouldn't start this type of flying with an expensive drone.



Airborne Photo 

Airborne

Plover Report

Those plovers are crowding the beach. The spot we have been using on the sand has been fenced to keep us out because plovers are nesting. Those little scurrying  fur balls. Mind you I have not seen any of them in this fenced area yet. We have gotten the digital radio going via the DAB channels however it seems to get interference when you walk nearby. We have got the Chemist Warehouse station going so far where every add is about Chemist stuff.

Plover fences

Low Profile Boxing Day

Yes a quiet day is in order, except for the soaking rainy jog I did this morning.  Yesterdays wrapping paper is today's rubbish which has been cleaned up. I also got the quad copter drone to work after much reading of the Korean? translations.  The main trick not in the instructions,  is to turn on the mobile controller with the power joy stick in the down position (not centred). This enables connection between the controller and the drone.  Now I might go and do some colouring. it must be at least 50 yar since I had a colouring book.

The Comfy Pillow

1st ever Drone photo

Christmas Jog

Never been for a Christmas Jog before. There were no cars around but on the tracks and trails especially down by the river it was business as usual. There were even people training on the athletics track before the heat sets in.  I have made cherry jelly!  It doesn't compare with last years water melon tower.

Jelly Whip

Christmas Eve

I did manage to visit a few Christmas locations earlier this season so it hasn't been all bad.  The shopping has been finished today (not me). I have unloaded the delivery of kitchen cupboards over at Burnside, made it back in time to unload a mattress delivery here. Also got some presents going in time for the cleaners just now and should just be ready to take a conference call at noon.  I don't recommend last minute but I think it will take all afternoon to wrap gifts.

Punt Hill

I always thought Punt Hill had something to do with football, like a cross between Punt Rd and Windy Hill.  We went over to Williamstown and stayed at Punt Hill apartments in Ferguson St.  It is a local icon street a bit like Puckle St but less hectic and much more art deco.  Even at Christmas there seemed to be spare car parks. I find North Essendon  getting much busier compared to Williamstown. The Punt Hill apartment style accommodation has a kitchen and laundry. This is a good option for an overseas trip where you have your own laundry.

from Punt Hill

Reading Time

I had a few days reading time last week so I finished a Jules Verne classic "20000 Leagues under the Sea". I'm sure I did read this book 40 yar ago but I cannot remember it. Also I read what may be described as a K-Mart book.  It was randomly selected in a hurry with no thought at all. Boys adventure stuff, being Sergeant Jack Crossman a soldier in the Crimea War.

Not my actual copy

$8 book

A Hard Week

I got my first solid night's sleep in seven nights and in my own bed. When I think back over the last week I know it wasn't a nightmare because I wasn't asleep. Magistrate's court is unpleasant. I am having an education in the seedy side. Drugs, hard lessons, incompetent police are all part of this issue. What we want is for the prodigal son back again.  This is a turning point and with a family effort it will work.  I have rescued the 30th birthday photo album so it can be represented.

Smiles all round

Cheap Tuesday

Do they still have cheap Tuesday at the cinema?  I left my senior card behind but they mumbled something about $11 being the cheap price anyway.  The film title doesn't do much for me. Its like we have a reasonable story plot here but I can't think of a name for the film so how about "Secret in their Eyes".  This is a who dunit with Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. I always get picky about films but there is enough here to keep the interest.

Shady Doings

Yes we have shade on the deck. We have spread a 70% shade cloth over the roof of the deck.  So lets wait for a hotter day like today and see if it works.  Not sure about the first windy day that comes along. There is shock cord at one end and tension bolts at the other end with eyelets at the corners pulled down over hooks.  So if that doesn't keep it in place then nothing will. I have a cool deck.

from this

to this

to shade

Jimmy Bond

Had one of those Village passes from a year ago so we used it for the Spectre show.  They are not cutting back on the action or effects these days however there is a sameness to these films.  He always goes with the girl into the heart of the bad guys lair and manages to blow it up.   Jimmy Bond has already dealt with Spectre a few times, he knows what the symbol means and its tentacles of  crime. So why does he have to ask Q to find out more about it? Anyway it is still a good shoot em up.  I always thought I had the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang story but it turns out I have book two but not Book 1 or 3. These may have come before Jimmy Bond as Caractacus Potts was into blowing up the bad guys as well.

What happens in Book 3?

Pizza e Vino

For a second there I thought we were getting high tea but the platters were chock full of calamari, chicken and salad. The calamari was just right. With more courses came the sausage, the Morton Bay Bugs and the flatulence.  Well it was probably just me who was getting rid of the gas. Nevertheless this restaurant in High St Northcote, has it all and with a name like Pizza and Wine how can you go wrong.

Not birthday flowers, birthday towers

Whole lotta Rosie Music

We got a dose of the Hives at 7:30pm then the main party started around 8:30 and ended at 10:30 with no encore.  I would estimate the crowd at between 60,000 and 70,000. That translates to around $10 million and that is not including beers, t-shirts and horns. The actual stage is huge with giant screens at the back.  These were used to great effect for cameras , graphics, karaoke etc.  The Angus Young solo was a bit long otherwise an Aussie band although with only one original member.

Angus not so Young

High Voltage

Hell's Bells

This time we took the No 75 tram back to Etihad but I still have not used my free Myki because we were in the free tram zone.  It was 4:30 pm and every pub was already full and going off.  We decided to have room service at the Travelodge for a meal to save us looking for a pub.  We were over dressed as everyone was wearing ACDC shirts and horns.  As soon as we got inside we got some horns. There were many bars with lots of space so getting a drink was ok. 
This is only the 2nd time I have been to Etihad. The inside was totally transformed and the sound was loud. Very Loud.  Overall an amazing assault on the senses. A tad disappointing when some famous songs like Jail Break and Long way to the Top were not played.

Debbie the Horned

ThunderStruck

Slip Sliding Away

 A year ago I could not get a ticket for this slide so I put it on my list.  The sun was in and out but with no wind and 29° conditions were perfect. We were staying at the Travelodge Docklands and the room was ready at 12 noon so we started early.  We took the freebie city circle tram to Spring St. So my new free ride Myki card didn't get used.  Also how come you don't have to touch off on trams when exiting but you do have to touch off for exiting trains?
 We had a Bratwurst snag from the food van for lunch. ( Should have had a slider! HaHa!)  We took a few calendar shots before our sliding started at 2:15. This is the longest slide I have had including any water  park. We slid a total of 1.6 km over 4 goes and it was around 20 minutes between slides. This is well organised and I would recommend it as good fun.  There is potential for injury! I am noticing that I am the oldest at numerous events lately.  One tip: If you are over 100 kgs you could well burst your donut. We saw this a number of times accompanied by a lot of other people's laughter.

Beware of busted donuts and wet freckles

Visitors

We called in to see how Franster was getting on before the chemo injections start on Monday. If anyone is going to recover fast from this onslaught she will sail through.  We got back home in time for our Pure Bookkeeping friends from Canada. They have been driving around Australia for 5 weeks and also mixing in some Pure Bookkeeping as well.  We would never have even tried to travel on planes with babies but it does not stop this generation.

Soon back to -25°

Air Services Graduation

I find airports interesting and I have seen my share. Sometimes you get to go behind the scenes such as at the Annual Graduation of Air Traffic Controllers. (You only get to go once.) This was held on the fire ground and Laura was one of only two women out of the class of 2013 to make it through.  So 27 in total now have a job for life.  And out of the 1000 controllers in Oz 300 will be retired in 5 years.

Class of 2013

Straight to the Pool Room

Fire Ground

Anniversary Trail

Perhaps I should ride this track on Australia Day.  I drove back to Yarra Bend Rd for the start of a 30km circuit, firstly along the Yarra trail then under the eastern Freeway to start on the Outer Circle. This follows the old train path until you join up with trains again. Toorak Rd is probably the worst crossing. Soon after there is a turnoff on the Ferndale trail which gets you to Gardiners Ck. This is a high standard and re-joins the Yarra Trail at St Kevin's school. Follow this back to Dight's Falls and then the Boat Shed and its all done in around 2.5 hrs. The creek paths are generally less interrupted than the old train easement paths.

A four trail circuit

13 For Luck

Not sure if I have read Agatha Christie before although I have seen the odd film. Maybe it is "13 for Luck" for a 13 year old. This book has a plain cover almost like it is missing the pictorial dust cover. Instead the prim and proper thing to do is cover it in plastic.

13 Stories

Man U

The birthday that keeps rebirthing. The Manchester Unity building was built by some odd fellows. They wanted art deco and with a tower to make it Melbourne's tallest building in 1932. It was for the elite with a rooftop café and a basement restaurant with crocodiles. It has been refurbished by Australia's richest dentist so you can get your tooth fixed as well.  The tea party moved around the city to other rooftops and restaurants. You can spend days exploring the city centre.

Almost Gothic

into the Tower

Members of the Board

The bar

Wedding & Gourmet

These are becoming the regular Chiltern weddings, every two years or so someone is getting married and we make the 2.5 hour drive. This time to the Brown Brothers Winery but before that the lunch was had at Snow Road Produce which looks to be recently built. Directly across the way is the Milawa Motel. It was sunny enough to try the pool but we didn't get to it.  The ceremony was in the grounds of the Winery then it was a wander across the road to the big shed. I assume barrels would have been stored here years ago. The food came out finger style and was a high quality but it wasn't until the last hour that a large selection of platters was placed on tables.  The king prawns were huge.
After the dancing and speechifying was completed we fell into bed at 1:00am ish. Next morning was the big breakfast at Milawa bakery next door.  We got back at 1:00pm ready for an all afternoon barbie over in Mont Albert.

Produce Store

JarHead

Wedding Crowd

Brown Brothers Shed

Outer Circle Route

This route also has the name of Anniversary Trail. I have ridden the Inner circle route but this is the first I have seen of the outer circle.  Years ago I remember waiting for trains to cross Heidelberg Road at Chandler Highway. The bike follows the old route down to the Camberwell line. I went as far as Burke Rd but you can do a circuit joining up with Gardiner's Creek. The hailstorms didn't help today.

No trains today

BACS Remnant

The remaining stalwarts of BACS met last night which may be the last gathering before being fully absorbed by the Accounting Mothership.  The lease on the BACS office is running out soon and will not be renewed. Bernie was the only one missing from below photo. Il Parco is an Italian restaurant with lots of room. It looked like there was a backyard of sorts but I didn't see it properly. They were quite open to us putting meals down the centre and bringing extra plates for the sharing option.

Il Parco

Negativity

I have turned my attention to digitizing negative images. Not so simple. I went to the shop looking for a light source similar to what doctors use to check X-rays. I came back with an Epson V370 photo scanner.  However it does not allow for the much older individual negatives but it can do the film strip type of negatives. A lot of the positives are damaged in some way hence use the negative, however I am finding chemical reactions are gluing some of these strips together. I have struck some gold as below.  I still have to go and get a slim A4 light box before I can move onto the earlier negatives.

This game again. Hint: middle row

old style Air Traffic Control

Myki Cards Seniors Cards

I guess it is official when you get sent your seniors cards. I must be 60. Went to another 60th doo today and the talk was all retirement and cheap train travel.  As in my previous post I am a bit rusty on the trains and now I have two Myki cards. Those Italian Taylors know how to feed a crowd so we didn't need any lunch or tea. As I type this I have felt a tugging at my back and I can feel the most recent batch of stitches have protruded through my shirt. Good thing I am getting them out this week.

I contributed a choco cake

Jack's Magazine

I always wondered what exactly was behind those bluestone walls when I rode past on the Maribyrnong path. You could see it was explosives of some sort.  The bunkers are serviced by tunnels with tram lines that ran from the end of the canal loading bay. The gunpowder was stored here since 1878 and later was used in the munitions works higher up the slope. It seems the developers are circling but these five hectares of bunkers are being preserved.

Tramway for moving barrels

Last log entry was 1972

Lunch with MeerKats

It has been 20 yar since I was down at Werribee Zoo.  We just strolled into the bistro for lunch and we are still not sure if we were supposed to pay an entry fee but this zoo has improved heaps. And after lunch our car broke down and a lion jumped on the bonnet! See below! It is the closest I have ever been to hippos, gorillas and lions. Hippo teeth are huge and sharp not to forget wild African dogs who can devour a rabbit in 5 minutes.

Hairy Backs

Teeth

Prowlers

Resting on the Bonnet

Apex Predator