Laid Back

 Our beach has its grassy issues but you can still chill out.  Brian was walking it last week and his opinion was to leave it without cleaning it up at all. Just let nature take its course.  It is a manmade beach in the first place so I think a cleanup is still needed. We sat for an hour and when it is calm at this time of year the water is crystal clear.  I gave the knee a test and it seems like swimming will be ok now.  The whole tendonitis knee blew up quickly with two days of nasty pain then the last five days of steady recovery. 

PS We are off to yet another birthday thingy right now and need to go get the cake!

Laid Back

Weather Watch

When the Sun is out it is hot even though the day seems cool.  I did some lawn mowing which started cloudy but an hour later finished hot, sunny and sweaty.  Just a day ago I filmed a huge storm over the You Yangs and within 5 minutes of the end of the clip below we were hit with it as well and the street was awash.  Right now Debbie has submitted her latest big update for PB so we are heading over to the beach for an hour of R&R.

The Reef

I judged a book by its cover! I couldn't help it. As soon as I saw it, I was going to give it a read. It looked a bit like Green Island which I had been to sometime last century.  A place that the 'Back to Basics'  Youtube channel are always turning up at.  The precis said "love, mystery, skulduggery".  It took until page 340 to get to the first hint of mischief.  It was a struggle to read it compared to the only struggle in the book where one bad guy got a bump on the head.  Not to mention the familiar generalisations about the GBR dying again. 

Beach Report No597

 Went across again with a wading session in mind.  I also got out the rubbish bag this time and the walking and bending seems to be working if I take it slow.  Not too much rubbish, mostly small plastics and rope pieces.  We are getting a lot of junk mail despite the no junk signs.  With two letter boxes it is double the amount and last nights rain made them a sodden mess anyway.  They are delivering during the night. It seems there is a website it can be reported to at some group called the Distribution Standards Board. There is a board for everything.

Revival

 Debbie has started the long road to fitness after sitting down for 12 months (10 years) in order to get the latest Pure Bookkeeping online.  So after waiting four days I went down to the beach this morning for some water based striding.  This worked well as it is a slow process and the knee is supported by the water.  It was overcast even gloomy but no wind. PS There has been another big ship over at the navy pier, unloading for the last 5 days.  I did not do a rubbish pickup even though I could see a bit, except for a trigger spray gun that was laying in front of me. The Dell was getting more attention in the distance, which looked like some sand deliveries. We have been told our beach is next but no new sand for us.  Eg will get a scrape and clean but with the grass heaped in piles.

WA Swan

If you have a sore knee and need to sit around then that makes it a good stamp day. (Everyday is a good stamp day.)  I have uncovered a pre-Federation stamp from WA. They used swans in their stamp designs but varied the denominations by using subtle colour changes.  I have two colour swatches below, the first is carmine and the second is vermillion.  They couldn't just make it red.  So there are two fourpenny stamps with each of these colours and I have one of them and depending on the colour, it is a $500 difference.  I have made my selection. 

carmine

vermillion

Knee Tendonitis

 I have been searching back thru this blog and there is reference to two previous knee tendonitis events. The very first was a hospital trip to Richmond around 2008 where an injection started to ease the pain. When your knee cannot bend and you have to use your hands to move it then you have a tendonitis problem.  Try sitting on a toilet keeping one leg straight at all times while No 1s is in progress. Too much information.  I am recording here that this time it is my left knee where previously it was the right.  It is normally a younger mans problem but my brain still thinks that.

Glasses

I have two new pairs of glasses after last weeks big session with the eye doc. The second pair is for the exclusive look and see at a computer screen. I did try out a pair of $20 readers from the chemist but the periphery was a swaying  moving mess.  This $800 experiment does seem to have an element of the same problem but not as bad. Maybe I will get used to it, as I am typing out this BLOG entry.  I am also trying to heat up my eyes in order to soften and return a drainage hole back into its position.  Hard to explain without a diagram using arrows and circles. If it doesn't work I will have a watery eye problem.

Geelong Tour by bicycle

 Why did it have to be such a hot day to get the car serviced?  It was booked in a month ago. I dropped it off at 7:30 am and was 2nd in the queue. You would reckon I could get it back around noon, that is 4½ hours.  They said 2:00pm. So do I have to ride for 6½ hours. I rode for the first 4 hours but had to stop after that. I checked out every bike track there is in Geelong. Rode the Barwon river in both directions as far as you can go. Then diverted thru the city centre to the shoreline path. I have never taken that path North so went as far as the industrial sector which I have driven down previously by car.  There are beaches here I have never seen before and new townhouses right over the water.  I stopped in the shade for the next three hours in different locations, like eastern beach and the Botanic gardens.  Both shady cooler places. One thing that a day like this does is blast the bug that has been bugging me.  eg there is no phlegm left.

Hamish Hams it up

This bug that has got some of us is not helping however it has not affected Hamish so that is the good news.  He had his last mornng here in good spirits before they got on the ferry to the crowded side. We got them all walking down to our beach and across to the Dell where the annual seagrass clearence has started. There were diggers, trucks and small dozers but the grass was not being carted just moved around. It seems the council does not have money to do a proper clean up. 

Hamish takes a walk

We have been hit by a bug but are working our way thru it so far.  Hamish had a fairly good night and this afternoon we packed him off to PortArlington for a beach session. We ended up walking the entire length of the piers there, checking out boats, fishermae and a barge that was laden with stricken yachts being towed into port.  The Pier cafe was open so we sat for 40 mins for coffee and cake. Such holiday leisure. We also spent time analysing the Starship 6 flight. 

native starfish

Hamish Hits Home

 Cousins of the male variety are a scarce thing around here.  So far he has settled in after a feed and a nap it's all good. That sounds like alot of retirees.  We did try a short walk with him but the breeze was a bit stiff so we have broken out some of the smaller toys and yet again have had some sessions down on the floor. We have moved some furniture to get the inflatable queen bed going so that Beriniki has her own spot. Ophelia and Hamish get the main bed and the grandparents are downstairs. Easy!

Look at that tongue

we wont be starving

Another Wind

Another bag of rubbish. We have some visitors from WA arriving today and there has been debate here about whether it is worth getting them down to our beach for at least a walk due to the grassy state it is in at the moment. I say let's go however I went down this morning to check it out. When the tide is out there is a good sandy stretch to move thru.  I did pick up some lengths of gutter guard. This is a lattice work we used in Essendon to keep leaves out of the gutters without much success.  There was also the usual butts, rope, plastics and a good cap this time.  It ended in the bin though. I have added a bird video I took this morning.  Watching those birds dive for fish is the best. 

Spiky weeding

We left the soaker hose on when we drove to Willie during the week but got the neighbour to lean over the fence to tweak the tap to off. It is a jungle in there and I am amazed he could find the tap.  I started clearing it out before the visitors come tomorrow.  There are three different rose trees in there as well as some kangaroo paw plants that need to be kept and uprights from the watering system that also get in the way.  This is all a leftover problem from the street side of the fence which got cleared and cleaned but we ran out of energy for the inside bit.

 

90 years young

 I don't get to go to many 90 yar old birthday parties. I think my record is a 95th birthday a couple of years back.  This was a long weekend of partying, this one spread across three tables at Castello's Victorian tavern in Gisborne.  Parking was scarce as the Circus was in town as well as the Wine Festival. There was a table of Bingo players and then the relos crowded around including Hamish who made the trip from Perth. He did not seem to mind being handed around unlike another small fry I know.  We took over the whole section, including moving four heavy tables to make way for a photo opportunity.  The 90 yar olds lasted pretty well considering it was a three hour lunch.

not much left

\

Kaia takes the stage

 It is Baptism day and we were expecting a bit of noise when it actually came to the pouring on of water but it all went swimmingly. Kaia never made a sound nor did the other two candidates who were there as well. The godparents James and Bec moved when they had to move and smiled when they had to smile. James' present of a cross on a chain was a good touch.  It was a warm day and back home for lunch consisted of salad and fruit platters. Nana got the girls cooled off by running them under the hose without getting herself too wet.

Drainage Ducts

 I have been for an eye check and basically have healthy eyes except for the 55 yar old problem of having to wear glasses.  However for the last 5 or 6 weeks my eyes have been watering up and some times streaming over. It seems both eyes have a drainage hole to take away the constant coating needed on your eyes. In my case one of these drainage holes has tipped forward away from my eye and in the other one it has moved as well but not as bad.  I am trying a heated eye mask to see if it might soften the area and relax it back into place.  

a brassiere for your eyes

Harness

 I have had different GoPro contraptions for some time and never did much with them.  Today I tried one on which gives a hands free view. I have always held these cameras in my hand when snorkeling, although the stamp view below is from a seated position and seems to work well. Swimming movement could be a lot different perhaps recording a sway.  These two albums were the last in a box full. You never know what will come up. The first one I am dismantling as I have been thru it and taken what I wanted. The next and last is a total mess, all loose pages from different sources but full of very old stamps.

Banks

Banks make $6 billion profit every year so having bank shares is a good way to get some of that back. Another way is to close stuff no longer required. I have been on the chase for three weeks now to close an account. Once they have their claws in they do not want to let go.  I paid all outstanding fees and interest components from an old credit card but you have to wait for the next statement and finally it was all cleared but statement day is also monthly fee day so a new $8 fee was listed.  This time there is no interest as I paid it immediately however pending transactions can take two days.  So after four weeks there it is everything is zero so press the close button. No wait you can't close this account there are Points available on this card, thousands of them.  I have thrown away some of this in order to close it but there are vouchers coming for the rest. Now that it is closed I have just ordered an upgraded debit mastercard to allow me to pay for stuff using my phone.  Oh boy.

Dell Reef Nov 2024

 I made sure the camera was fully charged before I ventured down to the Dell to check out what is happening around the reef.  I found a spare flipper from two years ago so I went in with one blue foot and one yellow foot. Before I even got the old one near me the fastener broke similar to yesterday. Obviously this rubber perishes at the stress point where you are pulling on it.  I still managed to keep it on sort of. The walk here is getting much harder as the piled seagrass is tricky and it needs to be at high tide for the reef to be fully covered, so you are between a black morass and a sweet spot. I got some good video. There are some fish and some nasty japanese starfish as well.  Some of these reef elements look like huge skulls, good for underwater halloween.  After I got back there was enough of the flipper strap to apply a ziplock tie to it, not sure how it will go.

tie me down

Ideal Swimming

 Hooray all my fussy swim requirements were ticked this morning, however my camera was was out of battery juice and the flipper that was tightened with a cable tie last year decided to break on the otherside.  The swim was still very clear, except for a few floaties but the view to the bottom was perfecto.  It makes a big difference not having flippers when you are used to them.  I can report that the deeper sections further out have had the seagrass stripped back so as to reveal mostly spindly shoots. I have seen this before as by the end of Summer these areas can have thick growth again. I have a mind to go back this afternoon when the camera is charged again.  The tide will be lower by then.  I did a quick beach walk to retrieve a sodden piece of carpet I pulled out of the water yesterday. That was heavier than I thought to get it up to the bin.

chunky carpet

Late Sun

 After six hours of PB work on a Sunday, the Sun came out late this afternoon so we snuck across for a two hour rest period.  There were not many people and the only one who went in was a wetsuited spear fisherman who did not get a fish.  We answered the 26 questions from the Age and got 12 correct this time, which is probably an average score for us.  I also retrieved four golf balls from the sea floor so someone had a bad day.  The lemon score from the 20 I put out yesterday is now down to six left but I have a reserve supply to restock for tomorrow.

Lemon Saturday

Champagne Sunday

Ride Complete

 We had another go at our circuit ride from last week, except this time we were prepared with a puffer spray.  It was a mild morning with a slight breeze and time to stop at the station coffee van.  All the train works have been completed there but it seems to me if these train buffs needed another project then the turntable would be a good place to start.  We completed the ride without any issues so the afternoon is free for some gardening attention, like getting another tray of lemons on sale. The competition down the road had a sign with a large bowl of lemons on a pedestal.  I will have to lift my game.

Looks like an open carriage is being worked on. Note turntable to the right 

                                                              and bogeys at 3 o'clock.

BeechWorth 1992

 I was rummaging in the map drawers and found the Rogaining map from the first and only time I have ever been in a World Championship.  Will vander Lugt and I stayed on the course for the entire 24 hours which is also the only time I ever did that.  We thought we would make an effort for the inaugural event. I do remember sleeping for a half hour. We each took one side of a picnic table that we came across. It was a perfect nap until some drizzle got in our faces but it was enough to get us going.  Our route choice is marked at the top of the map. We were accurate but not fast. Four controls before dark, four more during the night and five the next day for a total distance of 54.6km and 450 points.  Previously I spent time testing scanners for digital copying but the merged map below came from three phone photos.

Paper Trail

 We have been catching up on some paperwork.  Everyone urges you to go digital for statements but we keep them on paper.  We have found a trick that the Comm Bank is pulling lately, which is to replace the annual fee with a monthly one.  We have purposely left an old credit card in case it might be needed. The fees changed from $50 a year to $8 per month so we are closing this one off. Not so easy!  We owed $16, so transferred that but was pending for a day.  Then the account online statement went $0.00 after the transfer. Hooray.  I am the Primary for this so pressed the close button but it comes back as -$0.24c So I transfer 24 cents, wait another day for the pending transaction, then press the close button again.  No can close, as the account is now +$0.24c.  This may be an interest component on the $16 ??  The official statement is generated tomorrow so if they don't take it, I will give it to them.  On another note, literally, the VNPA sent a glowing thank you note after I sent them 30 maps last month.  Hooray, most of the time I get asked for money.

Untidy Beach

 We managed to get across for an hour or so's beaching but it is getting harder to find a spot to sit down.  We cleared some debris on a good sand patch and since the wind had died it was quite pleasant. I noticed a tide line that I had not walked previously. It was high up near where we were but thin with grass.  However these still carry their share of washed up crap.  I went back this morning, specifically to walk this line and got a half bag of small pieces.  Many (25) plastic screw lids, one oil bottle, numerous rope pieces (15), three shot casings and seven lolly pop sticks.  Conclusion, there are gun toting, lolly sucking fishermen out there who need to use lots of screw top bottles (but often lose the lids) and are always tying things up.

Mega Balls

This is a herd of urchins

This is a bag of flotsam