Grass Balls

 Went for another swim this morning despite not being ideal conditions.  Water was a bit opaque so I did not see the the ray that was hiding in the sand til the last second.  There were those vertical eyes above the sand in the centre of a traced out shape. Quite an eerie sight.  Also got three golf balls along the way and had to leave another three behind for next time. I guess golfers have had all Winter to hit wayward shots into the water so I can collect their balls now.   Also did a rubbish pick up as well.  The larger items were old shoes, a cap and a big plastic bag. 

Reef installation

                                                          Grass balls not Golf balls

Reef Snorkel

 Finally got into the water this afternoon.  I have been across a few times in the last weeks but no luck as conditions were not good.  I had another look this morning but a biting wind was not encouraging. Around 4:30pm it all cleared up, sunshine, no wind and clear water.  The water temperature is ok as long as there is no wind around.  I walked to the far side where the Dell has been upgraded.  New paths and truck loads of sand have been brought in to add to the beach there. This is all because of the new attraction about 100 metres out. I swam out to the new artificial reef that has been installed in the last few weeks.  It is hard to describe. There are individual mounds with spaces, cubby holes or shelves.  There are three banks of them stretching off into the distance. I only saw one resident fish and no growth as yet but plenty of snails.  It is like you are swimming in a Salvador Dali painting.

Give No Quarter

 This lemon business that we have going out the front might need a name change, like Lemon Services or Lemons with extras but at no extra cost.  A big group drove down from Mildura for a weekend of activities including our beach, but in order to feed the hordes you buy a great tray of fishnchips.  What a bonus to pull up and park right across from a loaded bucket of lemons.  'I say how much do these cost? Nothing like lemon juice on the flake eh!.  We just give em away as freebies.  Well I never. (I thought the country types would be into the front gate zero economy produce trading system.)  In that case can I get you to slice some of those into quarters for me? ' (Now this has got to be pushing it, mate.)  So they trotted off down the beach for a late lunch.

He wheeled those chips all the way down on the pram

Debbie's Big Ride

 Well right now any ride is a big ride even if it is just 14km, as it has been at least 3 months since she has gotten on a bike.  All the surgeries are over with and there is no more visiting the Alfred hospital for facial updates.  So we are now more confident of trying some outdoor activities.  The rain threatened but stayed away while we were out and about for an hour or so this morning.  We stopped at the Drysdale station where the coffee van is and got one of yesterdays coffee scrolls for $1.   Forty yar ago you would be complaining if a coffee scroll cost $1.  But this was yesterday's left overs, so instead of $4.20 it was $1. The Drysdale end of the train line is still being upgraded. The main shed is finished but we can see other buildings going up now.

after last night's rain looking East

turn around to look West

Ride strong

Harvest Fare

 The strawberries don't seem to be complaining about the extra rain around here.  I picked the first hand full off of the plants this morning and only one seems to have succumbed to the bugs.  Nearby the lemons are weighing the tree down. There must be forty huge lemons to hand out.  Half of a full bucket went to the passing parade yesterday and the rest of them have been placed today. The nectarine tree is right beside the lemon tree but with a fence in between  and I can see that it is bearing fruit this time around after it was severely chopped back to just a trunk last year. 

Man Made Reef

 It was still overcast but beach rubbish does not wait for the weather so I got the bag out for a beach patrol.  East of the breakwater is looking good. The mountain of dried grass that had been placed there is all washed away. No doubt it will get put back in the next few weeks. The council have been busy elsewhere. I have mentioned previously about the Dell underwater sculpture park which had been on the agenda for years before being dumped. It was replaced by the imitation reef project. I think the guys I spied in the Dell area may have been installing some of that reef. It is basically a series of underwater mounds with pigeon holes that they anchor to the bottom.  Supposed to be good for fish and plants. We will see. I need to get a closer look.

Looking towards the city

Are these guys reefing?

Hi Ho Silvo

 You can only do indoor projects for so long.  While the drizzle was happening I did some stamps, I did some scans of the photo pile and I polished the silver ware. Now that isn't something you do everyday.  There were small forks and long handled spoons from Nana Beryl's that have not seen the light of day for some years.  Debbie bought an antique cutlery set not too long ago so these will go well with the rest. Now we just need some desert to use the spoons on.   After lunch it dried out but was still threatening however I still got the bike out for a 50min, 14km circuit.  The Blues Train is still undergoing the overhaul.  They have been replacing the tracks and a month ago they were at Suma Station but now they are within sight of Drysdale.

Tassie Spirit

 This is the first time I have seen the the Tassie boat coming into Geelong. It may have had a schedule change due to weather but previously I have only seen it going out each evening but this time it was coming in and around 5:30pm.  I also notice the Navy pier seems to be all in one piece again.  Most of the work barges have been removed, so I guess sometime next year we will see some Navy shipping in the area.  I am not mentioning the weather.  

The Survivors

 We are surviving this cold patch, just. A reminder came up on the phone with photos of this day a year a go.  A sunny day was had with some beach time and one of the snorkel swims.  For one reason or another there has been no beach time so far this season and Summer is almost here.  I finished another Jane Harper novel. I seem to get these books by accident lately. This one came from a shopping mall freebie shelf in Chermside.  The last book was all outback dirt and dust, this one is situated in Tassie in a beach side town where a statue stands tall.  Sounds a bit like Binalong Bay.  Another of the whodunnit style of story with some swimming and snorkelling thrown in.

Woe is Weather

 Definitely an indoor stamp day today. I have seen one or two dog walkers out because they have to, as the dog might poo on their carpet. In the meantime we are watching the regular rain bands crossing Corio Bay here.  The picture attached is the best we have seen of the You Yangs today. The first thing we did this morning is catchup on four loads of washing from Williamstown, including sheets and all that stuff is strung up from the garage to the drying room.  I have also been scanning negatives found in Nana Beryl's old villa. You can never be sure if the photos are still around when you find an empty envelope but the negatives are still in their pouch.

Wet You Yangs

A very young Pam. 

All these have a frame boundary in the centre

             of each photo. Maybe that's why they were not printed. But I have scanned them anyway.

Bouncey Bounce

 We were up and away to get to the first Bounce session before the crowds.  This was a 60 min session from 9:00am.  Last time I did this I think I broke a rib so I was out of it this time.  Asher and Estelle were all over the place as was James, Heide and Daniel.  Bianca was not bouncing for two people.   It was good timing as we had it to ourselves when the hordes arrived at 10:00 am.  We went off to the Friction cafe opposite La Manna for second breakfast.  Williamstown villa needed a cleanup before we headed to Clfton Springs and there had been no clothes washing during the second phase of operation new face, so we brought it back here, including sheets.  And there is wave after wave of rain this arvo so the lawn mowing is cancelled as well.

All the kids in the cage

biggest ball pit ever

James head over heels

                                                                              Asher dives in

Toilet Space

 We are having trouble embracing the minimalist approach that you need in the unit/flat/small house mind set.  Therefore to increase the space available we have installed the Toilet Bowl Maximiser (TBM).  Now you may think that this is to cater for a larger bum or a larger production but no it is for storage of toiletry related items. However in surrounding the bowl with a shelf we have blocked access to the flushing buttons. Maybe we can just have a bucket of water permanently nearby and tip it in as required.  Also the TBM is a wooden framework that presses into your back as you try to settle into your favourite position on the bowl. In any case there will now be a handy place to store extra paper if  disaster strikes.

The TBM

Fast Surgery

 I have been getting blow by blow SMS messages from the Alfred Hospital. Successfully checked in. Transferred to Operations.  Surgery has commenced. Sugery completed.  That was less than 30 mins after it started.  However during the 2 hr wait beforehand, I had time for a short 12km ride.  I have also been doing a few more scans of photos to keep occupied.   The Sun has come out again and the Williamstown beach was half covered in school kids doing games and training.  I can remember going to Maroondah dam once a year for an outing.

We put up a painting salvaged from Nana Beryl's which has a connection to Geelong. This artist, Jan Mitchell, was the art teacher for Nana Beryl's sister Valda and she also painted all the Geelong bollards that are around the place, as well as some at Avalon and Tullamarine airports. There is no indication of the scene's location, maybe the Barwon River as she lived in Geelong.

Unit CleanOut

 First thing we see outside Nana Beryl's old unit is the pile of hard rubbish uncollected.  It turns out the council boys missed this unit completely on their rounds, but for once we scored a bonus as Debbie and I doubled the size of the pile. They are due back any time to rectify the pick up. In the meantime we loaded up and made our way to the Op shop three times and there is still a lot of stuff to move. The Salvos were very pleased with the quality. If we had time to fiddle with Gumtree online, many sales could have been made.  To finish off, we took the bar stool to Burnside for my Mum to use around the kitchen bench area. She was hard at it making some early Christmas mint tarts, very tasty they were to. Now the whole cooking operation will be alot easier.  We made it back to Williamstown for another unload before Debbie went off to her Mum's in Werribee.  That's three retirement villages amd a nursing home one after the other, that has to be a record.

Birthday Lunch

 On the way to the Deer Park Club we called in at Geelong to the CCD camea man who, for about the 10th time cleaned sand out of my camera.  I get the same lecture each time about how sand and cameras don't mix. We walked around the corner to the camera shop where we had left a mystery roll of film. We wasted our money on that one as only the first two frames had bad photos and the rest was totally overexposed. I should have known Tony would have left it undeveloped for a reason. The Deer Park club is a sprawling place and we had a good lunch there with Tiramisu birthday cake for Great Grandma. 

There is not much water laying around but there is a tree blocking the way to the Willie shops.

Network Effect

 It's cold here again.This is one of your more recent Hugo winners and incorporates a lot of the modern language around the latest media we get, like information feeds, data streams etc.  These books are from the point of view of a half person/half robot.  It is action packed and requires a galaxy to play out.  I will have to track down the others in the series. There is also a TV  version in the making but only in development so far.

Glass Fronted Books

 The book case has been dusted off and some of the original books have been put back plus some of our own. They are mostly antique and some are quite grubby.  The pride of place is an eight volume set called the Golden Pathway.  Nana Beryl told Debbie that 'any of us kids who wanted to read them had to thoroughly wash their hands before touching any of those books'.  I will have to try reading one to see what the fuss is about.  I have added the Everyman Encyclopaedia to the shelves. This is what I used at school before any Internet came along.  The whole wall in that section looks complete with my Grandma's piano and Debbie's Grandma's bookcase.

Neglected Yard

 One of the other problems in being away is the yard areas starting to look like a carpet of dead flowers.  At least the green bin was empty before we filled it up. The weeds were as high as the fence out the back.  Also the produce was being ignored, like strawberries and lemons.  There are at least 20 lemons out front now for the passing brigade and the strawberry plants have now been properly netted.  The neighbour used to be payed to mow grass and he could not help himself when it started to sprout bushes so he mowed it all.  Conditions are ripe for mozzies. We moved a few large pot plants and clouds of bugs rose up each time. 

Jungle growth

Over 1000 photos

 Have a guess as to how many baby photos were taken in the last three weeks. As a priority I have been sorting thru the phone camera and the video camera and getting copies onto different media.  With my camera alone it is about 1200.photos and videos with Evie being the main star and Charlie in a 2nd role, late in the sequence.   Debbie would have taken more however a lot would have been similar.  There has been no editing so far, only copying, so the mums and nanas can do their own thing.  In this video we were all enthused about drumming, as there was an old book that James used so much it was falling apart, which got everyone drumming.  By the end of this session,it was just a wimper.

Brisbane to Clifton Springs

That was a long travel day and compares with some we have had OS.  We had lunch at Williamstown with a quick reload of anything bound for Clifton Springs, including Nana's bookcase.  Yes we balanced the glass fronted antique bookcase on top of two suitcases with other bits and pieces on each side, then we trundled off to Werribee for a short visit there and kept on until we got here aound 5:30pm.  The first thing we notice is that the grass has been mown so I don't have to do it hooray.  I would guess that Daryl from across the way did the job, but he has as much grass as us and where did it all go, as our green bin is empty. 

Do we have to fill an antique bookcase with only antique books?

Photos and Car Shuffles

 Other jobs rather than babies also need to be done around here, like getting the car serviced which has the two baby seats in it now and the key is falling apart. Even though they were given a heads up about a replacement key it seems that is too hard a problem and spare parts need to be sent from Tokyo.  Also getting the car there at 8:00am and retrieving it at 8:00pm is also a pain.  Not to mention getting up at 6:00am in order to be ready for an epically long photo session from 9:00 am until midday.  But baby photos are worth it, no?  We were able to excuse ourselves at 10:30am and get Evie to day care.  We went back to Sandgate and had lunch on the beach there.  There was even time for me to have a quick swim.  The water quality was quite visible but no fish to be seen.  It may be different along the pier.  The local fish market in Woollies was cheap, four large pieces of Barramundi for $24.  We will look for a hotel in this area next time.

Baby Bandaging 101. The photographer took the same classes at RMIT that I did in photography, except her course was all photography.

Sandgate beach lunch

Charlie settles in

Charlie has gotten down to the business of sleeping and eating so while that is happening we have been keeping Evie occupied with trips to the surrounding playgrounds. This time it was called kidspace which is a much older playground made out of wood.  There are some newer sections but it is mostly a maze that adults can also follow along.  We stopped at a second playset as we had time and there it was right there. When it is time to go Evie says ' One more, One more ', that is the same phrase for books, rides, toys, cuddles or berries. 

Charlie makes it Home

 Hooray.  No more dramas.  Charlie made himself at home around 1:00pm and will do so for another 25 yar at least.  Suddenly we are going to have to be a bit quieter from now on or is that me that will have to be a bit quieter from now on.  We probably should let Evie know about that rule as well.  She is very interested in little brother Charlie and has taken all these interruptions in her stride.  Charlie has two beds, a bigger one upstairs and a foldup one you can move at ease even while he is in it.  We also caught up with the delayed Laura birthday.  We called in to the Flour & Chocolate for a stack of cupcakes.  It took quite a while to open up the combined Charlie birthing & Laura birthday presents.

Big Sister on guard

Why no crockery?

illustrated Harry Potter

An Aspro for the Gastro

 This gastro business is a pain.  Charlie is in lock down and there will be no more visiting and the next problem is getting them out of there.  We have kept Evie on the run with  Babycinos and shopping expeditions. The best actiivities were the swimming back at our hotel pool.  It is our own room's private pool but we found two teenage girls in our pool the other day.  They were pleading innocence when we sent them on to the other pool.  The other outing was the afternoon playground session.  This time it was Oriel Park. They had many slides and engineered rides and it was also well shaded by the jacarandas.

Driving the Tractor

Foot in Face

A Lay Down Swing

The Contract

This was written in 1980 and made into a TV series in 1988.  It is all about the Soviets (nothing seems to change) and the wall dividing Germany.  An old fashioned East v West plot but a bit low on action as they spend most of the book talking about how to do it.  I could not find the TV series but it was made 35 yar ago but it is probably out there somewhere. I found this book in one of those freebie book stands at the shopping centre.

Gastro stops visitations

 There is always something to workaround and this time it was gastroenteritis.  There was an outbreak on Charlie's floor so all visits are off.  Rick arrived with Jill and Evie in tow but could not get passed the front door.  In the meantime Debbie and I met Brendon and Cathie at the Vittoria restuarant. This was a good feed of spaghetti and meatballs and only $40 each including drinks. We did the handover from Jill at 4:30pm and carried on the Evie entertainment service from then on. We have been turning the key ever so carefully in the car.

Vittoria near Eagle Farm

A Key Issue

 I  turned the key in the lock and the car started ok but the key distintegrated in my hand and was left dangling in pieces. I left it hanging and drove to Evie's house in case there was more trouble.  There was more trouble, as when I turned off the car, I thought I could just use the shaft of the key to restart as it.  No such luck.  I thought I collected all the pieces.  Debbie put it back together and sticky taped it but still no restart.  This car is newly fitted with two child seats and has been set up to bring them back from the hospital and we have been told it must be towed to a Toyota dealer for reprogramming a new key and this is the weekend so at best it could be done on Monday.   I went back three times to search the car and each time I found more parts.  The key consists of nine separate parts all unconnected.  There is the key barrel, two halves of the casing, two rubber buttons, a soft rubber overlay, the circuit board, the button battery and a blue innocuous plastic piece with a particular shape.  Whatever that thing does it has to be inside the key. I spied a shaped compartment that looked very sinilar to the blue block shape and when that was put in place, yes the key worked and restarted the car. 

Charlie weighs in

 It was a long day of chasing 20 month olds.  We did not start off to well when I broke the car key on Laura's car.  This caused a  big delay but eventually we got the key back together. Like all hospital precincts the Mater Mothers is buried in a complex of buildings, car parks and walk ways and we did not bring the pram.  However by hook and crook we got the whole family together and Evie was able to have a nurse of Charlie.  She is already calling him baby brother.  Debbie bought a baby brother doll for her complete with a nappy so she id getting some practise.

Charlie is a 4.32 kg big boy

Evie is wearing Debbie's hand knitted baby blanket

baby practise

Fort Lytton

 We got out and about for three hours during the day and crammed in a few venues before we had to get to day care to pick Evie up.  Firstly we checked out the Pandus beach area. This was a disappointment mainly becuase the tide was way out. The beach was a man made one however next door they made a giant concrete pool but only for wading not swimming.  We had lunch at Coopers cafe. These guys were very unorganised. Next was the best activity at the mangrove boardwalk.  This wound its way thru the growth and there were no mossies.  Lastly we went to Fort Lytton. Nothing was open in terms of museums and displays but they let us wander around the grounds.

The wind moved my hand

The Cement Pond

Mangrove's

Park Ranger's Boots

Nundah Corner

 A rather leisurely adult only lunch is a rare thing around here but that is what we did at Nundah Corner as Evie was all tucked up at the childcare centre.  We also had time for a catchup snooze back at our room.  I am starting to feel the effects of too much time on the floor again.  I got over this issue as Asher got bigger but these ankle biters are another story.

Debbie used Laura's sausage roll recipe last night

Doll Box

We are having some what of a rest day as Evie is in Childcare, although Debbie is doing another cookup as she is trying to completely fill the new upright freezer with meals for the next month.  New upright freezer courtesy of Grandpa's preinheritance. (Also new fridge on the way.)  It also means I have a chance to look at the main video camera which is getting some use.  Evie tends to just come face to face with it so there are lots of close ups.

Evie swings at Ascot

 We are finding all the parks in the area.  There is the one directly out the back which we are always going to so we went for a drive to Ascot Park.  This is your more upmarket playground as the name suggests, kids should be wearing top hat and tails. There are a series of connected vehicles you can crawl thru tunnels to get at. This is all very well but the best thing and the longest is always the swing. Just put me in here she says and keep it swinging.

Jacarandas are purpling