Nothing could be finer

Than pizza at the diner.  This diner is geared up for take away pizza mostly but there are a lot of tables for at least 50 people to sit if they want.  It reminds me of the Happy Days set up or the diners on Royal Caribbean.  We walked in and she said sorry we are out of Ribs and lasagne and the coffee machine is broken. Oh well but the pizza was pretty good.

the Juke

Clifton Springs Cards

You know you have settled in when some of the traditions are in evidence like a card night.  In a new venue as well, although at this time of year we were travelling to Collendina anyway, as it's just a step to the left for Clifton Springs. Throw in a billiard table and we are back to the days when the home made table was available. (May it rest in pieces).  Munster's early 6:00 am egress was uncalled for but when you gotta go you gotta go. He is off to Sorrento.  Via the ferry no doubt,,,, wrong! It's a 200km drive all the way around picking up family along the way. Hostyle was a no show due to the Winter lurgi but should be back for next time.

Pool & Card night

Blue Wrens

I got a letter today properly addressed to me because someone wants to buy our house. The dust hasn't settled and already someone wants the house. I am wondering if it might be the guy we out bid in the first place. He can come back in 20 yar.  The Blue Wrens are flitting out the front again. This time I retrieved the camera in time to get some shots.  I am still trying to get a shot of a male in the bath.

My best ever Blue Wren so far

Fog City

Had a real taste of fog today.  We have had short bursts but this lasted til 3:33 pm.  I rode into Drysdale for a 30 minute massage concentrating on my feet.  The fog bound ride in bike shoes meant my feet were quiet cold and she wasn't expecting it.  I'll wear thicker socks next time. A foggy day is a good stamp day and I have found something called Goof-off. This is a spray can that you can use on the back of the envelope where the stamp is. It softens the glue and the stamp peels free.  The can has 10 health warnings about breathing the stuff in.

No Goofing Off around the Goof-Off

Infringement

On our way to look at this house 6 months ago I got a ticket for going 64 in a 60 zone.  It has taken all this time to get the address changed and the amount reduced from $2700 (corporate) to $200 (personal). Then on their web page it was announced that they had closed the case associated with the infringement number. I thought this may have been due to a letter I wrote owning up and promising to do better next time.  Not So Fast.  We got a new infringement number today but at least the amount was still $200 but the address was wrong.  I submitted the same letter again for a review of the case, this time via the web page as it is a new infringement number so I can ask to be let off, again.  I could always just pay the fine. 

Speedster

Solar

We finally got SolarMan to visit today so hopefully soon we will be catching a few rays. He confirmed what we already new that the inverter was broke however Delta, the manufacturers, are generous with their warranties as they are going to give us a replacement unit free of charge and a new 10 year warranty will commence with the new unit and on top of that they will subsidize the cost of getting it installed. We are still not sure if our Feed in Tariff  of 11.3 cents is because we are new to the house or if the original 60 cents should stand as a house hand me down.

Delta 1

Delta 2

Delta 3

Solo

Managed to get to the flicks even if we have to drive a bit further these days but we did get back to our old Waurn Ponds favourite Readings.  It's further than Geelong but parking is free except the shopping centre has tripled in size since we last bothered to notice so parking seemed tight on a Sunday afternoon.  The Solo show continues the side bar method of joining some more Star Wars dots together. They brought in the A Team acting cast for this one.  Chewie seems to be the one unstoppable character in the whole saga. 

Khaleesi

Visitors

We have a number of friends and family members moving house recently so it takes awhile to catch up on the new locations.  The Disseldorp's have found us and brought a 60th present from a local Fish Creek author.  Fish Creek has the only rail trail where I can claim to have used the train on that line before it was shut down.  The book is Magic Beach by Alison Lester. We have magic outside our house and Bronwyn new that from our photos.

Magic Dell

Real Magic

addressing the addresses

  Note to greenhorn movers (me) if you move from a large city to a country area then your car insurance rates drop immediately. So if you don't tell them for some months then you will keep paying the higher rates. Derr.  I wonder if that applies to house insurance as well!  Other events today involve the sticky issue of how to remove stamps from a 112 yar old stamp album. Just leave it the way it is some would say. But I want some out of it so they will all have to come out. I took the whole page and submerged it in water.  This was possible as the binding had disintergrated. However in 1896 stamp hinges had not been invented so the Rascally Roy used glue to stick the stamps on the page.  I now have the pages dried and in a very crinkled state and only a few loosened stamps.
  I have been researching glue removers and softeners and have found Extreme Green Glue Remover.  The last one was a citrus oil and the stamps turned orange.  This one will allow for dilution in water so may work on stamps but was originally designed for Bill Posters who keeps going around sticking large adverstising signs on walls.  It is an industrial product and only comes in 5lt bottles.  That should be enough to do about 50000 stamp albums.

These stamps haven't had a bath in 112 yar!

Short Day

One of my 'signs' of retirement is the short notice booking of a trip instead of my previous modus operandi of being 12 months in advance.  This has its' problems.  Among other things our normal travel lady is a new mum so she hand balled to the next travelocatuer. Is that a word? I also insisted on using Avalon which seems to have an inconvenient time table. As well, the destination to Vanuatu (formerly known as New Hebrides) ( I know that because I have been wrestling their stamps today) is a spread out series of islands that are better known by their individual names, such as Pentecost for native platform diving into a dirt pile or Tanna for active volcano watching or Espiritu Santo for snorkeling and it goes on.  These are all connected by short flights but in the two days it took to work out flights, three separate hotels all booked out and each time they got more expensive.  No Phasements!  I did not even consider the house that the relos own somewhere there, it was already complex but if it turns out possible we may pay a visit. In the end we got free flights due to various visa points that add up over time.

Today's beach walk

Just sun baking no swimming and on the shortest day

Curtains 101

Laura has returned to her warmer climate although the weather was sunny for the last two days including  a rather spectacular sunset just now.  Another thing I found out today is that an artificial reef is being set down off Pt Richards. Well I never.  We have around 50 metres of heavy duty curtain here and I don't think they were being pulled in some years.  We have had a crash course in curtain maintenance having to unscrew the rails from the pelmet and reattach some brackets and place the whole thing back up again and they are heavy.  We have found others that have not been properly hemmed. Oh hem!

Port Arlington potatoe soup

Reef Puzzle pieces

Sunset 1

Sunset 2

Rain Gauge

Our official rain gauge measured 60 cm of rain in two days so that is a lot of water.  In the meantime Laura has brought the Sun in time for another walk to the Dell. The presents keep rolling in so the party hasn't stopped yet.  Another few bags of rubbish were removed as well as a large buoy.

60 inset with photos

Girl and Bouy

Once upon a Dell

Post Party

I know I didn't drink too much so I must have eaten too much. Nothing like a little stomach upset to bring you back to earth.  I have found my first non Australian bicycle stamp.  It's from Germany and I think it's about delivering the mail using trains, wagons and bicycles.

bicycle wagons

Q Train

The Sunlander is a retired but now salvaged train running between Drysdale and Queenscliff so the Blues Train has some competition.  This one is all about the food, degustation style.  The five courses are small portions but it adds up. Debbie has put on a fun 60th and picked a good local venue. The weather turned out cool but sunny.  Just in case we had lasagne, pumpkin soup and a large cake.

Club Loco

Dining Car

The Big Switch

Q Train

Cake

Pre Party

Nothing like a party the day before the party to get the party started.  We were just showing off the Klye van renovations but there were ballons, streamers, cake, presents, champers and a candle so it must have been a party.

Cold Blast

Winter has hit.  This is our coldest day or two being around 12 degrees.  Not so good for 60th festivities tomorrow but at least it is indoors.  Looking out I see wind driven white caps.  I have started gathering my World Stamp themes of Maps and Bicycles.  The maps are going well as there must be around 40 stamps so far.  Not a single bicycle have I found.  plenty of planes, trains and automobiles.  The closest was a stamp proclaiming 'Wheels of Freedom'.  It had a car, truck and a tractor.  What an accurate definition of a bicycle 'Wheels of Freedom' and the yanks have put a tractor on it.   I think I might  change my other world topic to 'Stamps I Like' and if I find a bicycle all the better.

Map1

Map2

I have no catalog of 'Maps on Stamps' although Stanley Gibbons covers many themes. So I have my own file naming convention starting at Map1 and a good one it is too.

New Mt Clifton

Went on another ride to find the high point around here.  I could see a big antenna on a hill so I went for that.  I picked a dirt road that went straight up the side. Not a good idea. Still managed to get there but I wont be going that way again too soon.  Good views here, maybe it is more Mt Drysdale. I could see water on three sides.  I used a different road on the way down certainly not as steep.

Corio Bay

Lake Lorne

Local Scenes

I have put up a few pictures from the other day. There was a woman taking the famous shot down the centre of the old pylons.  I mentioned how I had photographed seahorses and rays and jelly fish exactly where she was positioned in her gum boots.  She seemed to get a bit nervy about where she was standing.

Yu Yangs rising

Point Lonsdale

Pier pressure

Redirected mail

We have paid for a redirection of mail for a 12 month period but it seems not all mail is included. I assumed anything going to the old address is sent off to the new address. Not so. It goes according to who it is addressed to and even that hasn't worked properly. A heap of mail was building up at the old address and thank fully the new owners took it to the real estate agents. There was mail for six people who were formerly living there.  I have lost track of some of those ex boy friends, ex girl friends and where they now live.  Worse than that is all the company mail, including tax requirements and other important documents.  There were fine notifications and a car rego notice, all of them now expired and with extra penalties. There was one which I could not workout, as there was no real way it was going to get to me. It was prompted by a change of address request I sent them. They returned a confirmation to the old address in an envelope marked "under no circumstances to be redirected'.

What the!

Up Ya Kilt

Went to the Port Arlington Celtic Festival for a bit of Celture. I only saw one or two kilts. We went to this once before and there was a much better set up with a stage area and a bit of sword dancing.  They have made it more of an indoor thing needing a ticket these days. There were a lot of stalls not much different to your Sunday market. We called into the Orchid farm for a bit of advice on the way back, as there is not much happening with our flowers so far.  The Orchid man says we need to pick a spot with some morning sun only and they may take a year to adjust to this position. The last stop was the chocolate shop and there was plenty of it.

Where's ya Kilt?

Orchid City

Rocky Road?

Winter Gas Issues

The heating man was here yesterday and one of the things he did was perform a gas escape test.  This passed easily and the readings were minimal.  Next door was not so lucky. Over time their heater was deteriorating and allowing a greater rate of escaping gas. This was a slow build up where suspicions were raised due to breathing issues in their house to the point where a lung replacement is now required. The tests showed extreme poisoning with death as a likely result within a month.  It pays to get the heating checked for fumes.

Tester

Lawn Mower unpacked

The lawn mower has remained in storage for some months. I didn't even have any fuel to put in it as the removalists do not move containers with fuel. I do not own a single blade of grass any more. This is all house with any other areas all paving and a large veggie patch, but no grass. So how did I spend two hours mowing and doing edging?  I estimate the nature strip here is 20 times the size of that at Essendon.  This nature strip area is bigger than the previous front and back yards combined.  There is always the view while you mow.

Malurus Cyaneus

I finally got a photo of the Wrens in our bird bath. I had to get upstairs for the camera and by the time I got ready the Blue Boy had finished his bath but some females were still a bit dirty. These birds operate in small groups to raise chicks.  You can hear real twitter at

https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/species/8161

The days' other achievement was getting the heating fixed the same day I rang up for service.  This guy had a cancellation so he came, he fixed, he left.  He said it would have been three weeks normally.

They don't seem to notice people on the other side of the glass.

The Heat is Off

Literally.  It has been warm for two days so I did not use any heating then but I tried an hour or so ago and wondered why there was this cool breeze down my neck.  The pilot light refuses to stay on. It looks like a good flame but no go.  At least I topped up the ratsak pile which had all disappeared. Perhaps the rodent has disappeared as well.

I ducked under the ducts and beamed at the beams but still no heat

Beach Walk

Having some good weather lately so went on a section of beach to the East that I had not been to before.  The high ground trail past our house runs out at a large gully. We have been to this spot a couple of years ago by bicycle from Collendina.  It took me 15 minutes to walk to it from our place.  Getting down to the beach is tricky but doable. This walk needs to be done at low tide and today was perfect with the low tide at 2:09 pm.  I spent 3 hrs on a slow walk with some time spent in the water so this is a test for the foot syndrome and after two years it must be getting better.  No side effects so far. Only saw one person in the distance the whole time.  I looked up a worm called Idanthyrsus. This worm builds a tube to live in and thousands of them form colonies to cover the rocks.

Idanthyrsus

Low tide scalloping