Asher Time

There were seven of us in the room but only one focus of attention.  It doesn't matter if there is a squawk, a cry, a laugh or a poo attention turns to any Asher antics.  The lunch was chicken, quiche and salad which disappeared except for Debbie's portion which was confined to clear liquid.  We got some good four generational photos with a smiley Asher.  We also left with a box of books so I am going to have to move some onto shelves in the garage.

Paris Underground

We had some French culture last night but before that we spied a car pull up out the front in driving rain.  Two very fit looking people laboriously got changed into wetsuits for a swim. They had a number plate that said France.  Last night we went to the Pomme de Terre  (Potatoe Shed)  for a French themed show and these two swimmers were in it.  Not only that we were sitting next to a French woman and her Belgian husband.  The show was part dance, magic, singing, burlesque, acrobatics and stand up comedy.  Bring your own snacks.  The show could have been better with live music.

Foyer

French Swimmers

Host

Femmes

The Hypogeum

Winter has returned in a cold snap, that means it is a stamp day.  I was adding some of the ADSIL variety to the collection (Any Damn Stamp I Like) when I came across a Maltese design featuring the Hypogeum.  I'm going there maybe I should know more. Turns out this is the oldest known underground construction anywhere. It had been closed for 10 years due to the constant stream of visitors but has now reopened under strict visitation limits, just 10 people per hour.  I have now booked two spots for the one hour tour.  Turn stamps into travel.

Hyperion

I  have fallen into this trap before. This Hugo was awarded in 1990 and is a good yarn set way in the future, about a pilgrimage to Hyperion. It tells the separate story of each Pilgrim and their connection to the Time Tombs.  I read the 500 pages and noted all the references and common links and reasons for being there.  So they have crossed space, crossed time, crossed the sea of grass and crossed the mountains and are about to enter the Time Tombs and the book ends.  I need to get the sequel.

I just returned from the "World of Books" website. I ordered four books, this sequel and three other Hugos off my list, all of them secondhand. 

Watery Divide

There is a largish gap in the pylons where we have observed various speed boats, fishing boats and especially SeaDoos  charging thru.  We have wanted to cross that divide of maybe 30 or 40 metres (300 metres out according to Google Earth) and today we got across there. The water temperature is slightly cooler for being further out but the fish go up in size even though the water does not seem to be much deeper. The biggest fish was a diamond shape with stripes and a small mouth at the horizontal apex, wide from the side but thinner from front on.  My camera was playing up so I need to go back for a photo.

The Divide - you can clearly follow the underwater trail

Bicycle training

The weather man is back in favour here with ideal conditions. We rode from Mannerim to Queenscliff and back at around 25km.  We stopped at the very end of the road at a restaurant called 360° as it has the observation tower above for the all around views. The place was packed with retirees, who else.  Our windows needed a hose down after the pummeling they took in the last few days.  The bugs have mostly died off so we swept up the bodies as well.

Body count

360°

Salt slicked windows

Swimmer

We still have bugs floating around. It's some type of fly which I hope is of the short lived variety.  I processed a couple of weeks worth of short video clips today.  I picked one out where I am doing the groyne swim with aids and devices.  It is handy having the wide view as you go. Also good for avoiding jelly fish.

This looks like the culprit

                                                                       swim time

There is something bugging me

The north wind started yesterday and got stronger and stronger. With it came some sort of flea like flying bug, millions of them.  They came into the house thru the garage and were blown in under the big outside door, then they were attracted by the indoor lights to go under the internal door.  A closer look at the outside glass doors showed clouds of bugs. We used a can of spray and vacuumed twice to get the volume down inside the house.  The wind kept up til 30 mins ago  causing a 2 hour power outage earlier.

bugger

Dive Dive Dive

We are seeing numerous snorkelers, a lot with spear guns.  Some young guys speared a butterfish today.  They also lost their thongs and a face mask. I am going to look for that mask. I need a new one.  Debbie did some shell diving today. It takes a lot of effort but we brought the red bubble as a resting platform. There were no pearls in either of the shells. Maybe next time.

                                                                   Shell Dive

Ocean Grove Senior Citizens

A year ago we were madly unpacking boxes and wanting to get over to the beach.  Today we were determined to have a slow day. I did drive over to Ocean Grove as the annual Stamp Fair was on. The car park I used to use when vannin is now a Hotel! and right next door to the senior citizens rooms. They had set up trestles for stamp dealers, so basically this was a mobile stamp shop. I spoke with one guy for 30 minutes about how it all works. He travels from venue to venue each weekend selling stamps. I bought the Tasmanian pictorial series off him for $60 dollars (eg 10 stamps at $6 each average).  We wandered over to the beach in the afternoon.  I saw a seagull catch a fish which means he never bothered us for food.

Seagull food

The only place in this set of stamps that I haven't been

One Year Springs

Overall the SeaChange has been a good move even though it is not that far from the van site.  The house has survived our invasion with maintenance on heating, air-conditioning, painted the outside, replaced the solar inverter, added a skylight, revamped the garden and put in a veggie patch.  Surgery issues complicated the first full Summer but in the end the local surgeons new their stuff so that worked out OK.  One year ago we drove up with three trucks and two cars on a sunny day.  It is cloudy now but I can see the Sun breaking thru.

Looks more like hot chilli  than capsicums

Collectibles

I was riding into town to get some bread. Lately we have been going across town to the Coles bakery for groceries and loaves such as Pane di Casa (home bread)  (This time I got a Vienna). Any who, if I'm riding this far I should call into somewhere else.  The Collectibles man is only a bit further so I had another look in there. I dropped a few hints about buying packets of stamps if they were stamps of the world and had a few bicycles or maps among them.    I paid $4.50 for a 200 pack of the World all off paper. He said he would see what he could do.

Pickers Paradise

Captain's Courageous revisited

Rudyard Kipling wrote this in 1897. Its a good yarn especially if you live within sight of boats.  It was made as a film in 1937 with Spencer Tracy.  Looks like Netflix have remade it as well. I saw this done as a western where the spoilt rich kid was thrown off the train.  This is the original where the spoilt rich kid falls overboard from an ocean liner.   Six months of hard work soon sorts him out.

Netflix version

Windy but Warm

It was mild enough today but blowy so I attended to a few travel arrangements, booking short tours that should avoid queues in the centre of Rome.  Rick Steve would probably want me to do it myself but I will use his travel app in Venice.  I also got one of the water videos going today showing  a brightly coloured black and yellow striped fish but I am not sure what it is called.

           It must have escaped from a fish tank, Nemo style. I thought he got eaten but avoided the bigger fish.

Sublime Beach

Went down beaching around 3:00 pm and got back at 6:00 pm but you have to rouse yourself when this cosy weather sets in otherwise I would still be there. Although an ambulance just rolled up but they did not seem in much of a hurry. Sure enough an elderly lady was being helped up the path and ushered off into the ambulatory.  The deck barbecuing is continuing with our new high chairs.  Today's snorkel saw four rays and I believe I have two of them canoodling  but I will have to check the video. I also dropped my snorkel which sank but diver Debbie retrieved it first time.

barbie with a view

Ambos for a swim?

Bicycle Practice

We are still building up to the required riding distance which is 40km.  It could be broken down into two parts as technically the days riding will be 20km in the morning and 20km in the afternoon for most of the Lake Constance sections.  Today we did 21 km starting in St Leonards with a short stop at port Arlington. It was a short stop as we left our money behind.  I did find the emergency stash of $30 but it is not quite enough for lunch for two.  We did scrutinize the ANZ app which has a 'tap and go' function but it is not linked to our cards.  Port Arlington was humming with bikes as there was an event on so we turned around and went back.

New shop in PA with a nautical theme

Number Five is Alive

There is something to note about buying your first house made out of bricks.  Bullet points include less painting, less maintenance and wolves can't blow it down.  If you can get a backyard with it then extra bonus.  That's what I observe about the new Clancy house.  There were party pies, snags, beer, cake and lots of kids. 

No 1

No 5

Little Ray

I got this short video of a Ray yesterday. This one seemed to just go about his business without worrying who was watching from above. They all seem skittish but not this one There was also a very bright black and yellow fish right out of a tank but I'm not sure if I got him on screen.

                                                                   

Beyond Retirement

We had new neighbours move in today and the sold sticker went up on the house on the other side as well. This completes a generational change. Three houses have sold within twelve months with the previous incumbents hanging around for 40, 35 and 25 yar respectively. They are beyond retirement. I'm not sure what that phase is.  No secrets here, those new neighbours had seen the inside of our house before we did, as they were looking to buy when it came up two yar ago, but there was no room for their boat and their caravan. We had a snorkel as well today, very calm with good sunshine to illuminate the depths. Some of the shells down there are huge.

Sold

Beach Repair

As was previously reported, OUR beach took some storm damage when the drain clogged up and diverted the water in the wrong direction across the sand. This was around Christmas and has only now been repaired.  A lot of the sea grass has been churned back under as well so even though it has taken 10 weeks the council has fixed it up. No doubt there will be another storm next Summer. The By Laws man was patrolling as well, and quizzed us about the number of cars parking illegally and also about the two buses that also parked on the verge. He was surprised when informed that 22 cars were parked consecutively and a total of 50 different cars, on one of the hotter days.  Not sure if it means parking infringements in future.

Rocky

Smooth

Happy Beachie

The Man in the High Castle

This is the third Hugo in a row that I have read. Like most of these they seem to make their way into video of some form (Amazon TV). We started watching a BBC series once where Germany had won WWII.  We could not get into it so stopped watching and now I find myself reading another alternative view where the yanks have been divided up after losing WWII. The Japanese are controlling the West Coast and Germany has the New York - Boston area with a noman's land of self governance in between.  I prefer one of Philip K Dick's other stories 'Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?'  better known as BladeRunner.  Now that should have got an award.

Deck Chairs

High Chairs that is.  Another day another swim. I swam directly over another fat ray today, in an area I hadn't seen one before.  The debate about an expensive removal and replacement of the existing deck glass wall has been resolved by a new high stool type of table setting.  If you need to see over the rail move to the high chairs. They are good for eating on the high table as well.

Now we just need to get rid of the power pole

Late arvo read

Van Loon

This is your up market pricey garden supplies and plant farm that also sells clothing ranges and other nothing to do with gardening items. It also has the cafe cum restaurant which we used for lunch for the first time today.  It was very busy being a Sunday during a long weekend, I had the paella with some spicy chorizo.  Asher had her bottle and do not get in between her and her bottle.

This sucks

Beach Babe Asher

I did two snorkels today each with a separate shower in between so I am very clean.  Baby Asher has arrived today and taken over the show.  Seeing that she is now having swimming lessons it is only proper to get her down to the beach.  When she got in the water it was mostly bare foot kicking actions.  Daniel and I went for a snorkel and spied a few rays including a big one that was hiding beneath a layer of sand.

Toe Tipper

Curlewis Driving Range

We have to build up our biking so we took the bike track towards Geelong this time.  Haven't been down that way for two years. The golf club has had a huge expansion including a Driving range complete with eatery and bonus bicycle track that veers off the rail trail into the complex.  We sussed it out with a sit down coffee and have vowed to return to try out the facilities. There are meals but the menu does not read like top notch cuisine more like your shopping centre fare.

Houses now backing up to the track

Driving not traveling

Air Show Volunteer

Just been talking with our neighbour across the way who has sold up and is moving on. We had a send off meal at Clifton Springs golf club. Turns out he worked three Avalon Air Shows as a volunteer building runways. He said his first show was the best in 2011 and then Air Services Australia took over in 2013 and it went down hill from there.  The worst thing they did was give him and his mate some paddles without any training and sent them out to the end of the runway for 8 hours on a 40° day, no lunch, no water, as they had been completely forgotten about.  He never volunteered again. It was a 10 week job building and dismantling the runways.

Globemaster on Dirt

Rain

I had to put a jumper on today as well as socks!  I went over to the beach for the first 5 days of March, all after the official end of Summer but today only got as high as 14°.  The water temp would be OK however the rain has been off and on.  So that means I did some PB filing, some more reading and some Stamps.  I have a new problem in that I have come to the end of the printed stamp catalog.  The Post Office does not allocate an ID number to each individual stamp but the dealers do. Dealers need to identify each one in order to re-sell it.  My database needs it as well to identify the record although you can search by other fields.  The last catalog entry stops on the 21 Feb 2017 at stamp no 3549.  So now it is time to go back and put in the USED stamps.  Can you spot the differences between these two used stamps?

Self-adhesive

Lick and Stick

The second of these stamps is also a "Cancelled-to-Order" stamp, ie when it was purchased at the Post Office it was also immediately cancelled without first being placed on an envelope. This instantly devalues the stamp and renders it useless, except to that customer, who only wants to collect used stamps but in mint condition.

The Demolished Man

This is  the very first Hugo winner from 1953.  My copy is a Penguin edition from 1966 and I had to poke around on the internet to get it. It was 3 shillings and sixpence back then and I paid $10 for a very thin 190 pages.  It is set in the future where evolution has created mind readers, so murder is hard to do when others can know what you are planning.  The Demolished Man gave it a go but in the end his mind was adjusted for better usage.

This cover is why people have clown phobias

Monday on my Mind

There is a song called "Friday on my Mind". It is acknowledged as Australia's greatest ever rock song. It is the mantra for the workaday world however come the retirement era and things change. Yesterday we went to OUR beach and it had crazy yelling teenagers, the usual snappy dogs chasing birds and also the sea doos doing noisy sea stuff.  Today we saw one or two people and literally the laid back chairs allowed for plenty of reading. Earlier in the day there were squadrons of aircraft and helicopters returning from whence they came.  I wonder do airshows supply their own tower controllers, who may move from show to show or are the locals required to lift their game by 200% when the Air Show comes to town?

All ours

Air Show final day

I found my wayward videos and have placed some short ones below. In the end we were ignoring planes as they were just zipping everywhere.  The best views towrds Avalon are thru a device however there was plenty overhead here at Clifton Springs.  The night action is limited to Friday Night only and I have resurrected a small part here.

                                                                   
                                                                   Night Moves

                                                               Waving at Planes

The Sunsets over the Air Show

Avalon Night Show

We have seen a number of fireworks shows from our balcony. The Geelong Show is the closest but the Airshow is so well positioned across the bay. The best view is thru the video but unfortunately I lost the files. I may be able to get some back tonight. The explosions are the unique thing about this stuff, timed for the low passing of the planes.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

This book is one of the most recent Hugos I have found being written in 2004.  I have since resorted to finding them on the internet. It is a heavy brick of a book over 1000 pages and is quite wordy. This one is all fantasy and these two are both magicians who are learning their way from books because the original magic had died out from England 300 years earlier.  It spans years and wars in Human England and Fairy England.  The BBC have made a TV series of it and there seems to be a mention on Netflix.