Short Pool

I tried a normal swim in the Willie pool. You can get in 4 or 5 strokes per lap so it is an interrupted swim but it can be done.  The tethered method would give a better result. As for the machines, the next one on the circuit is the Lat Pull down.  In my morning exercise set, I do 40 repititions of each exercise so I am  doing 40 of each of these before finishing on the bike machine.  I have now worked out the temperature panel whereby the spa temperature got a boost while I was in the pool. But I only spent 10 mins in the spa area.  The sign says no spa use after 10pm, not sure if that means the pool as well. Lastly I called into the library but could not find the light switch.  I grabbed a book and filled out the sheet via phone light.

Running Grave

 This is the 7th whodunnit novel by JK Rowling in the Detective Strike series.  Last time I checked the TV series, this book and the previous one had not yet made it as an episode.   These plots are getting ever complicated.  It was supposed to be straight forward, find out as much info as possible about a religious cult where people go in but rarely come out. The deeper they looked, the more complex it got.  I am sure I have read about real life versions of this stuff. 

I think running grave refers to a wave continously ripping out to sea

GPS Gauging

 I have been watching a few videos featuring cross country bike riding. A lot of them have telemetry displays appearing on the screen. How do they do that?  The GPS system is ever expanding and using some mathematics you can record position tracking, speed, altimetry and even G-Forces. I don't plan to go that fast. So my new GoPro has a GPS switch which I have now switched on. I went for a short ride to see what data I could collect. I spent some time getting the Gopro mounted on the bike in a well levelled central position.  This part worked well as the video below shows a smooth ride. What did not work was the actual recordings. I also have a brand new memory card to record on but it seems it cannot keep up with the camera, so the recordings were stopping at random times.  I think there is enough video for this experiment. I may have to drop the recording quality or get another card.  The next problem is that the GoPro video editor is lacking, however the rival Garmin software is supposed to work.  So now I have to get a copy of that one.

There are five pieces to this tower of couplings

I would have preferred a bit of Sunlight

Tethered Swim

 My Williamstown neighbour has made up a contraption to keep herself relatively stationary in a small pool, whilst at the same time keeping up as best a swimming pace as you can.  I have now tried out this idea and it does feel a bit strange.  The below photo shows a weight belt, which I think came from a scuba diving suit. There are also different stretch type cords with a carbiner style attachment and also one inflexible length that attaches to the wall.  When I first tried it I was touching the end of the pool with my hands. So changes were made to swap out a stretchier cable for a stiffer one.  This was all just a tester for me but in the few minutes of usage I hadn't gotten used to it. There is a constant tugging from behind but it seems with time you can smooth the experience. In my case a shorter section of the stretchier rubber would work better.  When I am full time at Willie I can explore this a bit more. 

This hook was placed in the wall for the tethering

Estelle Train Driver

We fitted in a lunch visit for Estelle before we drove back to Clifton Springs. Two hours of driving rain later, we arrived just as the Sun came out. James was working up a sweat with some heavy axe work to get a pile of chopped wood inside before the rain came. As it was, it took a while to get the fire going with slightly damp wood. Heide got some chicken and salad with bread rolls organised then we nad a catchup on how their Port Douglas trip went. That seems like a long 24 hours.

Gymy Go Round

Went back to the Willie gym again or should I say it is a cross between a gym and a sauna. I have spied a small fan sitting unplugged in the corner so I might see if that works next time.  The next machine in the circuit is meant to be a back exerciser but it seemed to work arms and shoulders more. I finished off with another 20 minute bike machine session and that is a sweat dripper.  So far I have had the place to myself each time I have tried it.  It might get much warmer if there are more bodies.

back strengthener shows 40 repetitions at 34 resistance

                                                              Not sure what 34 means

New Look Beach

 We went across to checkout the new foreshore.  A lot has been cut back and now the last of all the offcuts has been cleared away. There are many small pieces laying around still. It is one of those jobs where you start clearing at one end and by the time you get to the other it has grown again. While we were there a huge cloud of cormorants descended as the word had gone around that there were fish.  Wave after wave were hitting the water.  I only had the phone with me but it captured some of the action.

sunset panorama

I'll throw the twigs back into the bushes

Drysdale Riders

Way before we ever thought of moving to this area, we were riding bikes around here.  Collendina to Portarlington and back was a 50km effort which was done fairly regularly. If we wanted to tone it down a bit then riding to Drysdale from Collendina did not require as much effort.  Twenty yar ago we did just that, as I was poking thru some old photos and found the one below, where Anna was at her bike riding best.  This cafe is now totally dominated by the new library building. The cafe is still there but the area shown is now a covered walkway and chilly, as there is no sunlight getting in here anymore.

3D Viewing

 I have had an Italian stamp for some years now featuring a world globe and which was deliberately printed off centre and overlapping resulting in a fuzzy look.  It was only later that I found out you needed those coloured glasses to see this stamp in its proper light.  I was not going to buy any for $20 but thought that something would turn up. Sure enough an old box of Daniel's dinosaur toys and books was brought out for the Grandies and inside was a pair of 3D shades.   So I have searched thru the albums to find the original stamp and with patience the image does show in 3D.  As it turns out the best view is with a scanned image I have in the database.  This one pokes out from the computer screen like you could reach out and touch it.

an unlikely stamp tool

if you have glasses you can see it from this blog image

2nd Floor Fibre

 "We are not allowed in the roof cavity and especially on a second story".  That is what the NBN techo said. So now we have to get a sparkey in to do some roof work before making yet another appointment to get the NBN man back again.  Good thing we know a sparkey. We were left a 20 metre roll of fibre cable. The other problem is that our pit out the front has been covered over sometime in the past. It is known where it should be and opening it is required to patch into the cable running along the street. This is going to take a while. At least I solved my missing CODEC problem. These are special files required by windows to reconsitute media types that have been compacted, like MP4 files, produced by phones and video cameras.  I installed a program called K-Lite which worked perfectly. After rebooting I could play video files again. Of course how does a CODEC file go missing in the first place? 

Brush Cutters

 Went across with the trusty rubbish bag after the wind driven weekend that we had.  I also spied a trailer being taken down last Friday. It turns out these guys have answered a council tender to remove the cuttings from the land care group's work.  A farmer is taking his time getting those cuttings out. I think they have spread them further apart for one thing.  I picked up a good sized bag of stuff with a mix of plastic lids and most prevalent this time was lengths of plastic wrapping cord.  There is a lot of seagrass.

This is a spooky business. There are hundreds of them and you could hear a pin drop.

Collendina Leakage

 We have had some rain in the last few days and a few leaks at Collendina is nothing new. I patched up that roof on going for at least 18 yar. It was already old when we bought it, then the Taylors had a turn and now the Roberts' are back. They decided to crash here last night as there is only so many buckets you can spread without one year olds starting to play in them. So while a tarp was being bought and attached to the van this morning, we kept the grandies busy with some gardening and some food and some Bluey.  I watched the chess lesson episode which was pretty funny.

Outage

 This has to be the biggest outage effect from a small program update of all time.  When I was making changes at Melb Water, the first thing you did was test it on a totally seperate system, then when you are ready to run it, you never ever ever did it on a Friday.  The way forward here is to start in safe mode, apply the fix and restart normally. But down in the depths of server farms, the servers have no screens, they are just stacked in racks. Find the server, attach a screen, do the fix then move onto the next one. This could take the whole weekend.  Manual warfare is a thing of the past.

Kaia CookUp

 The cubby house has not made it to the new location but the kitchen unit is still working minus a few utensils.  Even though the high and huge roof is covering over it there is a large gap open to the elements but in between showers Kaia got some juggle balls cooking.  The wind is gusting here today and working outside must be a cold business but I did see workers going down to our beach this morning and they have been down there all day.  They took a trailer down with them so I will check it all out over the weekend, as right now I am staying in.

babycino

Kaia Pram Dance

 Some recent change has occured on my laptop whereby MP4 files including all back dated ones are no longer playing properly. I have video players that don't work, one that just plays video with no sound but the video editor I use seems to be working ok. Hence the video below which I shot with the new camera. Kaia takes a while to settle down after her Mum disappears from view but then it is all fun and games. She even went to sleep for an hour.  Mind you the old problem of trying to do activities whilst still on the floor has come back into this again. This video thing is going to need more investigation but it seems messy.

Willie Gym

 The first thing you notice going into the centre is how the heat is cranked up.  When you get around to the gym it is no different.   I am working my way thru the various machines and this time I picked one of the pneumatic style version.  This one is supposed to work the chest and buttons on each side adjust the resistance with a swoosh.  Other than that there is a count of repetitions and you just push at it.  This did not seem to to much so I switched to the bike machine for 20 min where I rode for 9km and the sweat was dripping.  

Aeonium Arboreum

 Debbie has had this plant in the front yard for some years now.  It has suddenly decided to flower for the first time forming large bright yellow cones jutting above the foliage. On closer inspection there are hundreds of small yellow circles forming the cone.  It seems that flowers will not appear until the plant is matured which takes some years but flowering may not be every year.  There are reports from some areas that it is a weed needing control when having escaped from a garden.

Video 4K

Whilst we were in Cairns last time my video camera went missing. It is a mystery as we are not sure if it was misplaced or pinched. We made a claim on out house contents for a replacement value however there was no receipt to prove we owned it. The claims man was eventuaslly convinced to pay up when we sent him a photo of the original box and manual. The last thing I remember claiming on contents insurance was the same camera, eg the one before the one that was lost. I drilled a hole thru that one when trying to attach it to a tripod mount where the threaded hole in the camera was not deep enough.  This one is a bigger barrelled version however works in the same way the previous one did. The exception is the replacement of the 2nd camera on the edge of the view window with the wifi equivalent. Eg you can connect your phone to the camera which shows your phone view as an inset window and will record both views at once. Not sure if I will bother with this too much. I have not selected the 4K option for recording but left it at 1080/28M MP4.

FTTP

We have been watching the rollout of fibre cable around here for 6 months. It quietened down and then a letter box drop said we could switch to fibre. Last week I got into a chat window session with an Optus salesman. There is no phone access anymore, you simply cannot ring them up.  They took my mobile number in case the chat window stopped but even then they would not ring me as the chat was the way to go.  Ninety minutes later, that is ninety minutes I wont get back.  Optus are paranoid about security after the Optus breach. The whole thing broke down when I had to scan my own face using my phone after scanning the photo on my drivers license.  Errors kept stopping the process.  Today we went to the Optus shop. We sat in a corner for an hour before one of only two attendants was free.  I knew eactly what was needed but we had to endure the upsell, as these stores are now franchises and the boss was hovering around each negotiation and had to sign off on it. We steadfastly stuck to no phone upgrades, no TV upgrades, no wifi upgrades and no speed upgrades. My chosen 18Mb peak usage option was already going to triple our speed without any cost increase per month. As it turns out we will get this for $89 per month, compared to our current FTTN at $100 per month, so three times the speed for $132 less per year.  PS we did have to get rid of our landline but I am not sure if anyone knew that phone number.

MapRunner

 I saw there was a short 60 min orienteering event being held at Ocean Grove.  There are a series of these street events every Winter and Summer. Some 20 yar ago I did the Summer version  and there are some big differences in the conducting of these events. For one thing you need to bring a smart phone or watch.  Your progress is recorded on your phone and a tally of scores is kept there as well. The biggest change is no actual controls to find or punch on arrival. When you approach within 10 metres of the mark, the phone beeps and you can move onto the next one. At least they gave us a paper map to navigate by. We dawdled in 10 minutes early for 28 points.  Mind you we had a fairly hefty lunch in the Dunes restaurant before we started. 

Our track

prestart instructions

Winter Water

 I have been waiting for all the conditions to be ticked off in order to test the waters. A cold fog swept thru at 10:00am so it wasn't looking good.  However this afternoon everything looked set so I went across to check out how clear the water was. The tides were not all the way up.  This was a water wading session eg bottom half only.  The grasses close in were shawn off so the walking thru there was ok. I had to go out as far as the high grass and it was still not waist deep, however I did some of those striding type moves that were invigorating.  There were no witnesses so you will have to take my word for it. I did try some of those timer selfies which did not work out so well.

Stamp Bicycles

 Ever since I joined the "Bicycles on stamps" society I have been on the lookout for a stamp that they may not yet know about or have missed. There are over 30,000 entries in their online database for all stamps in the world featuring some form of bicycle connection, so it would be highly unlikely there is something out there that is not listed.  Stamps that require closer attention are street scenes, especially if the stamps are from a communist country.  Nothing declares you are a comrade more than riding a bike whilst working for the Motherland.  I found these two and after observation with the magnifier could see each had a bicycle being ridden down the street. I have previously featured an Australian stamp with this situation. I looked up the database and saw they were already known - drat no ticket to the philately hall of fame just yet.

Dell Reef

 For the second time in a row now, when I have walked down to the Dell area, there has been someone fiddling about at the recycled reef.  Last time it was a council show and tell, this time there were two guys, one had the mandatory clip board who was writing down stuff and the other was the duck diver who had to submerge at each cone to check on it.  I had done a rubbish walk two days ago so was not necessarily looking to pick up stuff, although I did find a poo bag thrown into bushes at the back. It was the quickest I could walk to get that ripe one in the bin.

Iguanadon

 Wet day stamp day today.  One of the stamp themes I try to concentrate on is the traditional British Empire. Anything with that classic look goes into the album. I came across this one and straight away thought I could try to sketch it. We have seen these critters up close in Mexico and I have a photo of Debbie holding one, but I can't find it. I have attached another closeup we took outside one of those pyramid ruins. Those chunky skin folds are tricky.

Masked Lapwings

 I have mentioned these birds previously, especially when they get into protective mode. They can get vicious and have winged spurs to drive the point home.  Dogs are particularly a target of choice when the chicks are on the move but we have also been a target on bikes.  A patrolling pair were going bananas today and we have ridden in the opposite direction when they are in this mood. They look like larger plovers and are often given the wrong name. We have an empty house lot, two doors down and that grassy paddock is ideal for these ground nesters to set up camp towards the back fence, away from everyone. But when the chicks hatch and go out foraging then stand back. There are two chicks, the one on the road is easier to spot than the one on the grass.

Sunday Rider

 We did not get to ride until well into the afternoon. There is a big Pure Bookkeeping deadline next week so the compulsory 10 hour work period had to finish first. At least some exercise is still happening. I am noticing a lot more people getting in the water during this Winter.  There was a guy going spear fishing today and yesterday I saw stand up paddlers and swimmers. I am going to have to test the water to see what gives. Also on the ride today the lunch train pulled in after a very long Sunday lunch, like it was around 4:30pm. It may have been a Sunday roast.

Beaune

 Yesterday the Tour de France arrived in Dijon where we also stayed in 2012.  We had accomodation at Chataeu de Gilly where the Cistercians first set up shop. I was hanging out to see if they did an aerial shot of the grounds on the approach to Dijon but they came in via a different road.  They did do a zoom in on the hospital in Beaune (pronounced bon), where we called into.  We also did some riding in the area, as the Chateau had bikes for guests to take out as you liked. Last night the time trial finished in Nuits Saint Georges. This is the town we rode to from the Chateau. 

Passport Moneyport

 This blog is over 10 years old and I just did a search back thru time to see if I mentioned paying for passports 10 yar ago but I can't find a reference.  Ours are going to expire next year so I am getting in early.  We probably did not get our moneys worth on the last lot of passports with COVID shutting us down etc etc. We did use them last month for the first time in four years. We just paid $800 to the Gov for what is basically paper, except for a chip in the middle pages.  Just add it to the nophasement list of travel requirements. 

AirCon1 Aircon2 Aircon3

 All up it was a 5 hour job to remove the old main unit and put up the new one, as well as two other units in the bedrooms.  It is all very toasty right now.  All the old stuff was taken away as well. We do have a small paint job as the foot print of the new one does not match the old one. Getting paint will be the problem.  They have done 40 units in here so far and are nearly finished here. The next village was at Burnside. We know where that one is. If I was to get a quote for this job I don't think there would be much change out of $5000 and yet Retirement Villages get the benefit again.

after

Pro Fresh

 We are getting our under floor heating switched off today and it seems to be one of the coldest days of the year to be doing this. We told the crew would start at 10:00am but since when do tradies start then. At 7:00am there were a few cars then a knock on the door at 7:20am. For the lat two hours every door in this house has been open with the tradies coming and going. There are six of them, in the roof, out the back, in both bedrooms and the kitchen. This is a major over haul with three new reverse cycle units in three rooms and a huge inverter twice as big as the original one. I am in this room typing this up becuase it has an electric heater.  There are a lot of holes being cut at the moment.

During

Hockey 1 Hockey 2

We left at 6:30 am to get to Avondale Heights at 8:00am.  It's a good thing the log truck that lost it's logs, holding us all up tonight, didn't lose its logs this morning.  Originally it was just going to be the Kaia show however it is school holidays so Asher was also there for the day, while Bianca went off to scrub up at Footscray.  It was a picture perfect sunny day so we found plenty of outdoor action to keep busy. We walked to the Cannoli Bar and sat for an extra long time on the tables outside, especially since Mama spied us there. In the afternoon it was improvised soccer then improvised hockey using a small basket ball and brooms for hockey sticks with an upturned tub for a goal. Simples!

206 Bones

 Yes that is how many bones there are in an adult body and it is also the title of a book by Kathy Reichs.  I have read one of hers before and there may be a limit to the number of bone books you can read. It is a whodunnit but also with a side story about being properly qualified to perform a task.  There is a long list of exams always starting with Forensic eg Toxicology.  What about being a member of the Forensic Document Examiners Board, that sounds like stamp collectors to me, always checking out paper thru a magnifying glass. I was just about to put my initials in the book so as to record I had read it when I remembered it came from the Willie retirement village.  I have signed it out on their sheet, so the paper trail will lead the book police back to me if I deface it. 

Orchid Revival

I know an 88 year old (who happens to be my mum) that was studying an orchid plant and observing how well the large green leaves were doing. All fresh and glistening with life, yet there were no buds and no flowers to be seen. What to do? A pair of scissors was taken to the plant and the perfectly good bright leaves were cut off.  Three weeks later, not only are there many buds but an open orchid as well.  Debbie immediately took the hatchet to our orchid plants, lopping leaves in exchange for bursting buds. She did this to four or so potted plants.  Now to sit back and watch the tranformation, without leaves hogging the energy, the flowers will get a look in.

Orchids 101