Album 4

One thing about being cooped up for a bit is that I can get on with some photo scanning. Album 4 is another weighty tome.  After this process the albums become unusable, as most pages need to have photos removed as they are overlapping. When the sealing cover sheet is peeled back it loses what little cling is left. After that every photo wants to fall out at the slightest touch. Too bad, they will have to be viewed electronically from now on. It seems we spent most of our time having children's parties.

Dress Ups for Andrea

Birthday Bicycle

Daniel turns Two

Salt Water

I have been a bit stir crazy with the need to wrap my head in cotton wool so to speak.  The nurses agreed that salt water is a good thing for wounds.  I went down to the water yesterday but didn't put my head under. However today I took the mask and flippers, for a swim between the groynes. It was into a warmish westerly so small waves were brushing the wound.  Next time I should check the wind direction.

Painting

Another sign of retirement must be when there is painting being done but I am not doing any of it.  I think I painted the old house at least three times including one time where I burnt off three other coats with a blow torch. All of that was done using a couple of ladders and a plank.  You have to pay for scaffolding these days. 

Then

Now

Album 3 complete

Another 100 digitised photos now in the bank.  I have also made another film of the entire album, this time with captions where something was written next to the photo.  The album ends at July 89 where we are half way thru house renovations and Daniel is 10 months.

Mt Bogong run - Up and Down

Claire grabbing James thumb

Youngsters

Walker and brick

Renovation Number 2

Front Door Update

Debbie has been working on making the side door entry more obviously the main door entry. We still get all manner of deliveries and tradies coming to the wrong door.  We now have bigger address signage meaning the street and the number, large pots on either side of the gate and she has redesigned the pathway with more bricks and less grass. Also some night lights are to be positioned over the address sign. If that doesn't do it nothing will.  PS the water feature is now running after a complete overhaul.

House maintenance

Never buy a house with a rendered finish that hides wooden beams rather than concrete or brick.  The neighbours next door had no idea. Turns out the top floor is wood and blueboard under the render.  Their deck was a headline waiting to happen. As it turns out we are also now resemble a building site although all the scaffolding is for painting purposes.  The house that is falling down is 5 years older than ours but we have the solid bricks.

All fall down

The corner has a gap due to power lines

You need that like a hole in the head

Went back to get some dressing on this hole today.  Open wounds are tricky to deal with.  Washing is a good thing and I have seen the healing properties of Chlorsig eye ointment in these cases. The nurse dug around for a while then just covered the hole with tape. You wouldn't even know it was there. Photos are not pretty.

Archibald

It doesn't take long to make your way around the portrait finalists, as there are about 50 of them. We worked out today was a public holiday for the Geelong Cup which meant more people were able to visit the gallery. There was still plenty of room to browse around. It seems to me that a portrait should concentrate on a person, with no other distractions, like upside down hats or underwear on your head.  My vote went to Barnesy. I now know why half the portraits are of well known people because you're more likely to get a people's choice vote.

Grand Entry but go round the back

Barnsey Fighter

Tank Girl

Album 3

Another large photo album of 268 photos, mostly three to a page in an odd overlapping fashion. These I have removed, checked if anything is written on the back then scanned and put back in place.  This album spans April 88 to July 89 so around 17 photos per month. Not many by todays standard. For example these kids are ready for some experiences like snow. So a 12 hour day getting there and back and with all the clothing changes and snow fights in between, earns the grand total of 7 photos. Another trip to the Grampians, just 10 photos.

Canyon Walk Grampians

Laura ready for launch (Lake Mountain)

Linda and Rob Gellert at Willaura

The Burton's farm at Lima East

Portable painting by Paul Stork (Apollo Bay)

Dr Cutter

Had another scraping and cutting session today.  There was an SCC on my forehead which needed to come out. It was hurting, ugly and an open wound due to the previous doc needing to test the area with a biopsy.  There was also a BCC on my back which is going to be treated with cream.  The B is for Basal meaning the sore is contained to the area. The S is for Squamous meaning there is potential for spreading to other areas, so get these out. Vigilance is the key.  This Doc works at $2500 per hour. He says that it can't be closed over so there will be a hole left behind which should eventually form an indentation.

the before shot

Water Feature

The day after we arrived here we noticed a largish water feature which at one time cascaded water down over a big glazed pot. After we plugged it in nothing much happened except the breaker tripped and we lost all our power.  Attention has now been turned back to this area. The well that I blundered into previously has now been cleaned out. It was a morass of old water, leaves and fermenting olives and was black.  The pump has been replaced with a new one. We need to wait another 3 days as I have used a lot of silicon to seal the edges and glue some bricks and brackets.

Debbie did the dirty work

The 4th Protocol

This is an oldie but a goody. We were in the 2nd hand book store the other day and were reminded of the Le Carre that Debbie is struggling to finish, so we bought this one for a few dollars.  The film came out in 1987 about three years after the book. I could not remember anything about the film even while reading the story.  These spy books require a lot of attention, as usual you never know who's on whose side. From A bombs to homing pigeons this one has it all.

Collendina Beach Day

Went back to the old haunt for a few hours beaching. The van park is ever changing with all the speed humps removed and horrible yellow ones going back. That is after the road is widened to include a footpath and bicycle path. Not to mention the new boom gates with security cameras that will only open to registered and authorised number plates. No more visitors using entry cards as batons.

Album 2 revisited

There were 237 photos in the album. I have scanned them all and made a 40 minute film using each one as a 10 second frame.  It is possible to re-edit this and add sub titles for them but that would first need a memory for details, such as the two boys next door who were Adrian and Geoffrey Garvey and that took forever to remember.  There are another 10 of these albums to go.

Woolley St Party

St Jude's

Shade

ankle biters

Clown nobility not for James

Album 2

There are some very large heavy photo albums lining the passage. I have started on them previously for digitising purposes and Album 2 had been skipped over for some reason. I have now spent three hours on it today and are around half way thru.  There are some captions which means the coverage begins in Feb 1987 and at the back the last entry is April 1988, eg Laura  from 4 mths and James from 2½.

Annette's Christening

Early morning wrestle

Mothers at Princes Park, May 1987

Carol and Rolf Tamburro wedding

Naked Grandma

Baby History

Have dug into the depth's of Daniel's Blue Album.  There are some stats in there and lots of early photos. There is not much written although it says the hospital stay was from Oct 6 to Oct 13. The facilities look to be a bit ancient.

Then

Now

High Rise Apartments

Having had 5 days in these apartments I don't recommend this style of living where you are dependent on lifts.  Even worse is when it is located next to a hospital precinct and lights and sirens do not stop, not to forget the helicopters arriving anytime day or night and you would swear it was landing in your room rather than across the road.  The carparks here are narrow and the lifts do not go to every level of the carpark. So you are dragging stuff up ramps and thru fire doors to get to the lift well.  The gym and pool are a plus but at a body corporate cost.  Have a good reason to stay then move on.

TurnKey Apartments

Hyatt Nursery

Took our last visit to the Grand Hyatt Nursery this arvo.  More progress is being made on the feeding and sleeping.  We had a picture (hand painted original) framed from 34 yar ago which was given to us when James was born but for one reason or another never saw the light of day, as it sat in the  map drawers for all that time. So now it has been resurrected for the Asher room.

Vital Statistics

Yes there has been some bathing and measuring but we had to move over to the Grand Hyatt to get it done. They are too busy in the hospital.  There must be some money in baby birthing if you can take over a floor of the Grand Hyatt! In my day there were six babies in the same ward with you.  The breast feeding is a challenge but the progress is steady and only a 170g drop in weight.

Eyes on the World

23rd Floor

Expensive Doctors

Nana

Nurses who live in the Hyatt