Pelican Palace

I moved the walk off the roads and onto the tracks.  It was very high tide so the walk was on piled up sea grass and lots of it.  There was plenty of sand on our beach but approaching the Dell was tricky. You can get through from grass knob to grass knob.  Not quite the same distance as yesterday but almost.  The highlight was the pelicans, maybe 15 of them, just lounging around on posts and rocks. There must be plenty of fish in the bay if you can spend time contemplating your feather grooming in the Sun. 

No Sweat

 Not being able to use my arm has taken a big chunk of my exercise routine away. This is the morning routine which can get a bit physical with 40 repetitions of various manouvres.  Trying to grip bicycle handlebars is out for a while as well so that leaves walking or jogging.  Debbie has advanced her walking to 5km in length with sections of jogging included, so I am way behind.  This morning I tried her original circuit which is a road walk of 3.3km. We took it at a slower pace but road walking is not my thing.  I will be on the lookout for trails up to 5km.

The drop in temperature doesn't help my cause

70 Years Platinum

 We hadn't been to the Anglers since it had been reopened after the great flood or even a little flood is all it takes to get that spot under water.  I got all the certificates in order from two local members, Victorian Governor, Victorian Premier, Governor General, Prime Minister and the King.  There was more paperwork than anniversary cards.  On the way back we called into a doctor's office that was open on a Sunday. He checked out my elbow and said it was a case of bursitis. I am to keep doing what I was already doing which was ice and rest.  If it gets worse in the next few days then I am to get it drained and get a shot of steroids.  

One big kid with the little kids

Right Handed

 I have stuffed my left elbow again with a recurring problem that I have not seen for a couple of years. It's an overuse thing that involves gripping. This time it was slow to manifest until yesterday suddenly a swollen elbow.  It will take a year to heal which is what it took last time. I need to keep on the move though so went down to the beach for more weeding even if it was one handed. Also got some rubbish picked up complete with a brand new looking swim cap. I have washed it but not sure if I should keep it.

This is a sore point

uprooted

mega spike washed up

hopefully the swimmer is not still out there

Evening Walk

The change of weather meant we did not walk in the rain last night, however the day before I got the GoPro out, as I wanted to try it in the open air rather than underwater. This model is sealed for waterproofing but when I mounted it on the bike earlier in the Summer it kept turning off due to over heating and since then I have only used it underwater.  The evening was cool enough and I have had no trouble with it since and along with the video clip below, it recorded the whole walk for about 20 minutes.  This model is light enough to present a reasonably stable view without the need of a gimbal arm.  So maybe I will try it on the bike again, now that temperature has toned down a bit.

Hard CleanOut

There has been a pile building in the garage for a while now and it is crowding out the gym area so we need to get it out onto the sidewalk supermarket.  A large wooden box has already gone from last week's garden shuffle. The last of the garage cupboards are being dismantled as I type this.  I was there for a while during this process but I had to leave as there were just too many decisions. I don't thing the 'spark of joy' methodology is being used here. It is more of the 'throw it out before hesitating' approach.  There are a number of electrical and tool items that James and Daniel may checkout before the final heave ho.

Temperature OK

 I spied a pile of twisted up fishing line the other day but did not have my rubbish bag so I went back looking for it today. The overnight hightides have been right up there at 1.2m. The highest you can get here is no more than 1.3m which I have never seen. The pile of line may have washed out. I did get a poo bag, a stack of butts and some plastics.  A beach friend Di was finishing off her run and always submerges herself in the water for a few minutes at the end, doesn't matter what day of the year it is. The water is still a reasonable temperature.  I have a good video from the other day when the tide was up. Lots of fish. Further down the beach were some prickly bushes starting to take hold. I managed to get most of them pulled out this time and thrown back into the scrub.  So tick off the boxes, a beach clean, a weed pull and a quick swim.

just a few flowering weeds to go

Book Burners

 It's hard to know why you would want to burn books but I guess you needed to be around in 1933 when it was happening.  This book does not have a lot of action, its more about getting the point across that we do not want to burn books. It follows three time lines for three characters, 1933, 1936 and 1944 and the story jumps from one to the other and back again. I have been to Bebel square where this happened. The books were sourced from libraries across the road at the University. There is a window set into the floor of the square now.  It looks like a disused library down there with empty shelves but with enough space for missing books. Those students!

Beach Report No 912

 The Sun was out but so was the tide, wayout.  I got across there around 10:00am and my tide charts said it would be half way out but there are always other factors like the wind.  It was a southerly which drives the water out further and quicker.  The beach was very clean, as I did a pickup a few days ago. The main mission this time was a section of nasty prickles that were starting to takeover one patch further down.  I found a handy makeshift shovel which was a washed up plank so was able to dig it out without to many scars. Trouble is this stuff breaks off and leaves some sharp shards in the sand. Hopefully thay do not sprout.

pointy prickles

no water no swim

Jets Jet Off

 We had a huge flypast this morning as jets were heading back to home base however do you think I could see anything of them with this low cloud cover. Kaia wasn't much interested in jets when we were waiting at the rendezvous near Cafe 42.  We did some sand castles on the beach which were quickly demolished and the only flyer she was interested in were the seagulls which were being chased.  The handover was quick as Asher was asleep in the back seat and there would be more traffic on the way back.  So it will all happen again in two years.

Asher leads the Way

 Two Grandies went on the post-prandial walk and Asher says that if she sings the Elsa song then she will get so strong that she will get all the way to the end and back.  That was a good idea except it turned into more of a run than a walk and Kaia was non stop right behind her. Whatever Asher does Kaia does.  It was a good thing Kaia stayed behind with us today rather than go with her sister to the airshow or they would have been flying all over the place. Don't forget your earplugs.  Today was reading, drawing, playing, more reading, playground, lunch, sleeping and we still have the afternoon to go. Those Grandies! 

Good Walking

Good Ball Skills

Good Penmanship

Good Balance

On the BoardWalk

 We drove around to the RippleSide area North of Geelong. There is much large boat action here and at the moment a lot of aviation action as well being a lot closer to Avalon in this spot. We also called into Cafe 42 however they have removed the meatball roll from the menu. Drat! I guess it went the way of the lobster roll. I made do with a pie and peas.  I guess I am keeping up my veggie value with peas. All these veggies are harming the local environment though, as my carbon emissions have increased to the point were anyone nearby will be claiming carbon offset points. Too much information. It was the calmest I have seen here. People were just floating on the surface in relaxed fashion so we got in and did the same. 

Beach Report No823

 Went across to check out the state of things as we have not used our own beach for some weeks.  There have been some bottles down in the culvert area for a while and I saw it was fairly dry so I got down into it for a proper look.  There were four plastic bottles and a rubber ducky.  Now there is a rubber ducky race at Barwon Heads where 1000 numbered ducks are tipped off a truck into the river. I wonder if one got away.  The rest of the beach was ok.  The usual butts, plastic lids and rope pieces. I did find a bikini top and a Marlboro smokes pack which have not turned up before.  There is also a lot of burning off at the moment not to forget the daily bombing runs this week that shake the house from across Corio Bay. 

PS If you want to check out some of the AirShow there is a youtube channel called Aviation Spotters Online.

Maps on Stamps

 There is a link here to my article from the other day.  Each electronic edition is loaded into dropbox. You do not need to join up in order to read a copy so ignore those requests. There was a button to download a copy but it may not be there now.  Apparently it was a big article so has been segmented into the next editions as well.  I think there might only be two members of this worldwide society in Melbourne and I had a reply from the other one. In the article I refer to a stamp from Reunion where I checked the co-ordinates on the stamp where the Easting (Longitude) was out by a couple of degrees. He pointed out that at the time the stamp was produced (1907), France was stubbornly sticking to their own prime meridian which of course ran thru Paris rather than the one everyone else was using at Greenwich.  At least that accounts for one of the anomolies I found.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2cu222kgyg4hatqejz4xe/TNCP-89-April-2025-PDF-Final.pdf?rlkey=385q4pvkne18obrgevvjnc8e6&st=ewue3vys&dl=0

should be 55E not 53E

A conference in Washington voted on the Greenwich meridian for universal use in determining time and navigation in 1884 but France held out until 1914. Those Frenchies!

Garden of Rama

 Arthur C Clarke is a bit of a legend when it comes to science fiction. The 2001 Space Odyssey always come to mind and there were follow up books for that one being Odyssey 2010 and Odyssey 2061, so it should be no surprise to me that the Garden of Rama is not the last volume in this other story.  When I first got Rama vol 2 as a Hugo winner way back, I had to hunt for Rama vol 1 to get things in the right order.  I found them and read them only to find I needed Garden of Rama which is vol 3 and took some years to find a copy.  This story is suddenly reproducing the various ills that effect the Earth and translating them all into space. These space farers may as well have stayed at home.  So now I need to track down Rama Revealed which absolutely positively is the last volume in this saga. 

Back on the Bike

 It has been a week since the first dosage so we expanded the exercise routine with a bike ride of 16km which is a bit longer than the last ride from at least a month ago.  We stopped at the coffee van but have to bring our own green tea bag for this stop.  This spot is right next to the train yards where they are always tinkering with something. This time one of the station shelters was being rebuilt and they had also left an engine on view outside the main shed.  I think they should put some time toward getting the turntable working agian.

You can hear Chinooks underwater

I have done a bit of snorkel in my day and experienced and seen my fair share during the swims but getting buzzed by chinooks has to be right up there.  My hearing has improved of late so the unmistakable chatter of helicopters sounds different underwater. I can't say how but it does.  They buzzed by three times and I emerged to film one of those passes.  Back here preparations continue over at Avalon.  There were strifing runs and bombing runs with much explosion.  Back to the water, the JawBone is one of the better bay locations I have found so far for a snorkel. There are always good sized fish as it is a sanctuary afterall.

Published

 Some yar ago during COVID, remember that word, most of us were scratching around for something to do. There was a European website that took articles and papers featuring stamp themes.  So being a properly qualified cartographer I wrote a paper about Maps on Stamps.  The problem was that I could never get in contact with these guys.   The mathematics behind getting a round surface onto a flat paper has long been removed from my brain however I did not want to write anything too technical.  The paper languished for some years until I joined the CartoPhilately Society.  These guys have a journal and are always looking for articles so I dusted off the words and gave it over.  

A snapshot of the printed article

Early AirShow

 Yesterday it was Roulettes, this morning it was Chinooks.  Williamstown is getting buzzed by aircraft on a regular basis.  Three times a pair of chinooks went overhead and some of us are trying to have a quiet snorkel. I get that they are coming from Avalon and also Point Cook with Essendon involved as well but flying over Williamstown and the city must all be about pre publicity.  The skies will be dotted all week.

Great Blue Yonder

Estelle's Big Four

It doesn't take long to get to four.  Estelle's house is bursting with new toys so it is time to move out the old ones. There was a bouncing session early in the afternoon however we joined the party with Grandma and Grandpa back at Estelle's house. The veggie patch is thriving here with many things we have not tried, like rock melon, beetroot and chilli peppers. We had some feather fine strands of pulled pork that had been on the heat for 17 hours with home grown salad.  After a long day we were ready for the all night Milan-San Remo bike ride. Not! I will have to leave that for a replay.

her first barbie doll

James hasn't moved so fast

blown candles

Fish Diver

 A Pacific Gull is twice the size of normal gulls and this one was having no nonsense from the interlopers after it caught a fish and started tucking in right on the rocks in the Jawbone area.  I went down for a snorkel this morning. I was in for about 15 to 20 minutes and when I emerged this gull was there tearing  into a fish.  The fish I was filming in the water were way bigger than the bird itself so this fish was a good meal size. Some Japanese tourists arrived and they were filming on their phones and the lenses on these phones were considered professional quality when they showed me some closeup video.  I may have to rethink my opinion of phone lenses. These were easily twice the size of my phone lens.

Willie Town Weekend

 Debbie is having a meditation weekend starting today, run by her business partner Pete.  It seems to me these sorts of retreats are held in the rainforest where you stay for the duration and can taste the serenity, not the back blocks of St Kilda. Due to current medical issues everything is being tried out. I did get in a gym session just now with 20 mins on the bike machine for 7.5km and 8 minutes on the rowing machine for 2km of distance.  The other news here is that the hard working manager Penny is retiring soon, so we are hoping the next person keeps this place in the same ship shape condition and keeps our backyard mowed.  I am being buzzed by roulettes just now, don't they know the grand prix is finished.

Ozone Ribs

 This beach at Indented Head has a lot going on.  The Ozone is always a target for snorkellers and each time I go there I find something different.  There is also the pelicans, however the fishing boat hire was not open yesterday which is the main draw card for the pelicans. They were still around though. Our beach friend Jill spied a parking space in the caravan park so we sat ourselves at the Western end this time which meant the approach to the Ozone was from a different angle. This way I spied the ribs of the ship broken off but covered in growth.  The visibility was good but as usual a lack of fish. I did see one larger zebra fish darting around.  The boat sheds here are big. The last one sold, was shed 11, in 2017 for $116,000.  The sale of these are rare.

Breakfast Nook

I have featured the breakfast nook position before but now I have found the video version. After Debbie started doing some of this, the neighbour next door was seen for the first time ever on her deck. It is a good spot.  Ahh the serenity.  I spied something never seen before. What happens if a slower mega ship is approached from behind by a faster one?  Well it seems the channel is wide enough for a passing lane. I have seen them passing in opposite directions but never an overtaking manouvre. 

Knees and Tomatoes

 We found a tomato plant that had been planted by birds outside in the street plot of ground that we have never considered for veggie usage.  This is a full blown plant with 30 large tomatoes on it.  For the last two weeks they have been mostly green or yellow.  In that time with all the sunshine, they are ripening in a hurry. We have picked 10 so far and the taste is tomatoey. Not sure if passersby will be helping themselves but we do have a net over them. I went to the doc to check out my knee this morning. He said for a guy turning 70 this knee is still ok for all the work it does.  He also washed out my ears which I have never had done in my lifetime. I have been snorkelling a lot lately and I have been compacting wax into my ears with plugs.  Is that too much information?

NaturoPath vs Oncologist

 We have seen this issue before with main stream medicine poopooing alternative approaches.  BUPA has removed naturopaths from their claims list, putting them firmly in the Quack category.  Debbie spent two sessions with an emminently University qualified naturopath, who prescribed three supplemental pills.  The Oncologist immediately threw one out, studied the second for 30 minutes before agreeing with it and gave the last one the OK straight away. So there seems to be some common ground there. He mainly said it was gut health that you need to concentrate on.  He said increased veggies was good but add beans, of all kinds.  I think this could end up like a scene from "Blazing Saddles".

BroadBeans - take the skin off first

After Dinner Dolphins

 There has been a review of certain habits around here and a new one is going for a walk along the cliff tops after the evening meal. Now most of the time we would take a phone to get a snap along the way but not bring a proper video snapper.  Dolphins have appeared regularly this Summer and for two nights in a row this week. So last night I was ready. I had the panasonic with me but you guessed it not a dolphin to be seen. I do have a poor mans view from phone video below, but I will keep the camera handy. Another change to eating habits is the replacement of pots and pans that have had a lot of their coatings rubbed off and bare metal showing thru. Now these were the Baccarat brand that cost an arm and a leg and they do have a lifetime  guarantee.  Which we may follow up on but in the meantime we have gone for a cheaper version and maybe these will be replaced every two years.

We could hear dolphin chatter

Dismantle

 I must have spent 6 months getting some trips happening in May and June this year and now I have spent the last three days trying to undo it all.  I have never had the unpleasure of going thru this procedure before and it involves a different pressure. The international trip has insurance and the first thing they say is to claw back what you can and then come to us and bring the paperwork.  I am still waiting for an official letter from the doctors but had to start the cancellation as the cruise penalty amount was going to double if the cruise was not cancelled before yesterday and the insurance people would not be happy.  There is also the possibility of credit card insurance needing to be applied as well. This is going to take some sorting. Not what I would call a retirement hobby.

The Sun is still setting

Fern Bugs & Water Pipes

 After the long backboard saga we now find that one of the tree ferns has a heap of harlequin bugs coming out and we have seen them on another plant as well. These are sap suckers and mainly go for fruit. They are native to Australia so hopefully their Aussie predators will cut them back. In the meantime I went across for a cleanup of the beach which is looking very clear after a sunny long weekend. I did get some plastic containers washed down the creek but otherwise just a few butts, lids and rope pieces. The other drama was a burst water pipe in our street yesterday. Now this brings back memories of my Melb Water days. The depots I frequented were always tending to burst pipes on a daily basis in Summer. In this case Barwon Water was on the job quick and had it sorted by the end of the day.

harlequins