Last Devil to Die

 There has not been a lot of reading time lately with a two week burst of continuous sunshine but we are not complaining. I did finish the fourth book in the series of the Thursday Murder Club.  There are quite a few bodies piling up in this one and as usual the octogenarians seem to be able to keep one step out of the way. There was a lot of time spent on dementia and euthanasia which came from Richard Osman's experience with his grandfather.  It is a topic for a retirement village but I am not sure if it is a topic for a murder mystery.  The fox on the cover gets a mention as well.

Scratchy tree

 This year seems to be more scratchy in the tree than I can remember. Then again you are always getting jabbed but maybe the previous pruning has left some gnarly bits in the way.  My totals seem to be getting smaller as I go. This time it was 5kg but I was filling a different sized container more suitable for the drink fridge as now I have to get creative to find refrigeration. This was a particularly green lot. I eased the scratches by going for a short dip across the road. I wasn't intending to but it was calm again and it did help the sore spots. 

Olive harvest continues

 I spent an hour in the tree again getting another 6 kg or so of olives.  It has been in a more inaccessible higher region of the branches so I am happy with the 13 kg so far in two mornings. Once I start I need to keep at it . Your mind wanders about the most efficient way of doing this stuff. I know about the tree shakers. Sometimes you think if I spread a tarp down there and just shake the tree with my hands will that work. It is a sturdy tree. What about having a concertina type hose with a funnel at the top and you let the olives roll down that into a bucket. Maybe not.

Late Beach

 Not sure what the record is for the latest beach day in Autumn but we gave it a go today. Originally they were saying 28° but when we arrived they were saying 25° and then it was actually more like 22°.  The clouds were starting to build so we retreated. Nevertheless we had a good lunch, which I made, if I don't say so myself.  I should mention the sausage rolls which I did not make.  Truth is, the bakery did most of the work but these cheesy rolls are good value, just add a bit of crunchy salad and some ham and there you have it. Everyone is happy. Except the Sun went away.

cheesy mites

April Tree Time

I have had a request for olives that are more green than ripe. With that in mind I have started picking the olives in April rather than in previous years where I have picked them in May. That was mainly because the group weigh in occurs in May for the combined oil crush. I have never added these into that scheme. I spent 90 minutes up the tree this morning on the sunny side where they would ripen more quickly so the theory goes but are now in the bucket where they will stay green in the fridge. The weight came to 7.2kg so that is not a bad start. The tree is heavily laden so am expecting a few more buckets. Now I have to make space in the other fridge. 

Jetty Pole Line

 I went back to the pole line where the class was having a canoe lesson. It seemed like unfinished business. The poles here are closer together and there is a lot of tall but spaced out grasses. It seemed  like good cover for fish and I did find a school of larger ones, maybe 10 fishes. My camera decided not to work. I went all the way out again, dried it off as best I could, found my glasses and read a media error. At great risk, with wetness and sand and grass etc, I opened it up, got the micro card out, reseated it back in and the error went away. The only way I can unload now is to take the media out each time, as the cable connection never works for uploading videos.  Of course when I went back in the water  I could not find the fish again, although there was a large orange cuttlefish that had just been bitten by something. It was laying on the bottom.

Ride to the Reef

 Normally I would walk to the reef but I end up taking the road route and got the bike right down into the Dell. Getting back out was another matter. It was just easier to walk it back up.  Back at the reef I was talking to a passerby who had never swam out but I could tell wanted to try it.  How cold, does it swirl around, can you get caught on anything?   He has observed birds sitting on each mound at low tide trying to pick off fish.  Now this is a new development. Another sign that the reef is working to attract fish. On this swim I did see more fish than ever before and some bigger ones as well. The plants and sponges are coming on also.  This swim needs to be timed for the higher tides. The fisheries guys said it should have been sited in deeper water.

just poking their heads out

Fisheries Dept

I wanted to try combining a bike ride with a snorkel swim. I tried this some yar ago but it was a bit bulky as I had a backpack as well as a snorkel pack hanging around, all while trying to keep the bike in a straight line.  This time I was more efficient with only the snorkel pack but I put a small hand towel in there as well.  I cycled around to another old pole line that I have never properly swum.  This time there was another problem as the whole lane was crowded with canoes as an outdoors class was being held.  Kids have way more fun than when I went to school.  We had concrete and one handball court yadayada. I got back on the bike and moved around to the reef area.  There were two fisheries guys patrolling the shore line, taking photos, taking notes and taking prisoners.  Is there a problem officer? Yes we are looking for illegal drainage flowing down that could effect the clams, oysters and mussels. I did not tell them about the huge oyster I had in the pocket of my budgie smugglers. I plucked it off the sea floor right near there.  What are the odds of grabbing seafood from the ocean and there are two fisheries guys waiting on the shore.  When I got home I found I had shocking shucking skills and not the right knife so I threw it out. One time we took a shell back to our hotel room but it had a fish still inside.  The room stank the next day.

shucks

canoe slalom

Canon Ball Garden

 This would have to be the best conditions I have experienced for a few years. The only thing missing was fish although there was another big ray today.  I went out further than yesterday and just floated on the surface. You could spend more time checking out the contents of each pole but I seem to want to move on. The ray was hiding beneath the foliage of one of the poles.  He was too big to hide and decided to move off in a fairly lazy fashion. I branched out from the poles crossing some open water on my way backin. The sea floor always has something going on. I found this cluster of balls and the further I looked the more they stretched into the wet yonder. 

More Rays

 Yesterday was sponges, today its rays although there were still a lot of sponges. The calmness continues even with a slight Northerly that gave the water a small chop.  The water clarity remains excellent and one thing about low tide means that if you are out of swim practise you can get further along the pole line and still stand up. I did go another 50 metres passed that point and I found a large ray snoozing on the bottom. The outline of its body shape was perfect and the bulging back ridges protruded in the middle. That was about as far as I went against the breeze, at least it pushed me back to shore.

low low tide

                                                                          sleepy ray

Sponges

 Not the eating kind also heard of someone sponging off others but never quite knew where that came from. These are the underwater always saturated kind.  I finally got in for a snorkel as all the conditions were ripe for the fussy swimmer. This was the first one for a month. The clarity was so good shadows were cast on the sea floor.  There was a lot of fish but miniscule versions of them.  The thing that got my attention were the sponges and their water holes eg breathing holes.  These will have a name that escapes me but in the absence of fish they are where the colour is. I am hoping for another swim if the conditions hold.

Poisoning the Pavement

 We are due for a few dry days here so I spent at least an hour pumping and splurging 5 or 6 litres of poison into the paver cracks and crevices. This has not been done for some months and a forest was sprouting in the cracks. I was able to pull quite a few trees out by the roots before hand. I find a bit of a back ache is induced as it seems you have to stoop to get more accurate with the spray nozzle. Also the watering system sprays onto the pavers but I should get almost 24 hours of drying time before that. 

before

Dollar Bucks

 Kaia needed some distraction while her older sister went to TimeZone for party time. It is not long before she is immersed in whatever is nearby. Jigsaw puzzles seem to be all the go at the moment and she knows how to match colours and turn the pieces to fit. When the indoors gets stuffy then there is always the trampoline and if Nanna gets on there then even better. We used bikes, scooters and roller skates and it doesn't seem to matter if it is round and round the same ground, as long as we are watching, it all works.

Gym Session

 The gym here is quite well equipped and I am still mostly using the machines in particular the bike machine. Since my elbow has started coming good again after a year of issues I am starting to add weight lifting to the routine.  There are no bars here but there are dumbells the largest of which are 10kg each. Now I am not sure who they are expecting in this retirement village to lift 20kgs even from waist to shoulder.  At home I can now do 25 repetitions of a 7kg weight from waist to overhead. Here I struggled to do 10 with a 10kg weight.  All in good time I guess. We also have a proper bar where I have been working it without weights but if I can do a 10kg handweight overhead then I can add a few kilos. I guess that is called raising the bar.

Williamstown Sleepover

 Yes Estelle has had her first adventure without the parents looking over her shoulder. It didn't help that the breaker on the hot water had tripped while we were away and also that the cooktop refused to turn on but we did get to walk the parkland and get pizzas instead. I got to sleep on the couch so that Estelle could use the main bed. It was my first go on the fold out bed. Such adventures and the sleeping is not too bad for thin springs. If anyone wants to comment on what this steel framework might be that we found in the backyard. It just appeared since last week.

No Swim

 Will there be another swim that is the question? It was calm enough and warm enough this morning. I saw our neighbour Kerry with his SUP board and that only happens if it's calm. Although he has lost his edge a bit. Anyway I went across with snorkel and camera but a gust comes in and a warm Northerly with it and everything is chop chop choppy.  I walked it instead without a rubbish bag but it looks clear enough. Some of the saltbush can spread and takehold quickly and when the tide is up the saltbush is in the water.

What do you call a chicken with a broken leg who could not get to the other side?

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A lame joke

This Bogong hitched a ride from Williamstown

SaltBush City Limits

The Birds

 This is the only Daphne Du Maurier story I have read. She has a few famous books so maybe I should keep a lookout for them.  It was written in 1952 and is right up there with any episode of the Twilight Zone.  Alfred Hitchcock was impressed, as he a made it a film in 1963. It is a good old fashioned horror story about birds on the attack.  I had a few of those problems myself when a few years back, I crashed off the bike and hit the guttering due to diving swoopers. The problem with this story, is that it seems unfinished. It's the same with the film, birds are dive bombing in the thousands but there is no real explanation and then that is the end of the yarn. 

Throws Session No 8

 There was a gap in the clouds and the wind had dropped for the first time in three days so I went across for a shot putting session which must be at least a month since the last effort. I need to get some consistency if I am going to get another metre. As i seem to be stuck around that 9 metre mark and it would be good to get to double figures. I did the session using runners which I think might be the first time. It is a very physical thing and sweaty. I lasted maybe 30 minutes for perhaps 20 throws with two five minute jogs to break it up. I was done after that but you still have to carry that weight a long way back.

FIGJAM

Yes a few footballers have been known by this moniker over the years but this time it's the neighbours who are feeding us again. It seems possums love figs, so great lengths are needed to keep them out, like building a complete enclosure, with door, to envelope the tree.  It worked so well there is now a bumper crop but then what do you do. Figjam. We also got a stack of whole figs which I do not think I have seen before. As a kid my father would eat dried figs and I never could try them and that idea stuck. However the undried variety were sweet enough but the texture is hard to describe. Also the jam has all the skin left in the cookpot so I have been feeling around inside the jar to get the peel out. Feel I'm Good Just Ask Me.

Golden Rendezvous

 I was looking for some reading and came across an old fave being Alistair Maclean. Back last century everything he wrote was made into film, as the go to action author.  Richard Harris starred in this one in 1977. I can't remember if  I saw it.  The technology back then was a big part which you would laugh at now like looking for the hidden radio because the shipboard one has been smashed. The idea that a cruise ship can carry cargo in massive holds while passengers stroll about the decks seems a stretch. Think what is onboard cruise ships today. Nevertheless if you get passed the time stamp it is still worth a read.

Free Cancer to Cancer Free

You don't buy cancer but you pay a price. We had a surprise celebration that worked to a tee as we had no idea that Molly & Daniel were putting up their house for a gathering. The problem started around 2013 with a spot on the cheek that was like any other spot. A year later it was pointed out to a local doc who took to it with a laser beam device. This happened a few times and just seemed to result in a blister. If anyone wants to put a laser to your skin say no.  So after another year we went to the proper dermatologist who took one look and cut it out. This was around 2015 and with good healing that was it, nothing to be seen here, move along.  

Eight years later there is a spot once more. Who knows why there is an eight year wait. By this time we have moved to Geelong with another whole set of doctors. These ones do tests for the first time and identify a name for this growth. It is a nasty one with a corkscrew drill bit. Now the Alfred hospital is involved but they don't care about names or types only depths. It is a dinghy rabbit warren of old buildings with no easy access but it is worth it. They see that the spot is shallow like less than a mm.  They take it out again and scribe a large circle for a margin for good measure and replace it all with a skin graft.  They had to go back a few months later because the margin wasn't big enough. OK for the second time we are told that is it, all gone all removed, no further treatment. 

A year later the local doc who identified the initial spot is well aware and paying close attention to her neck. He finds a small lump and gets the Alfred involved again. This time it is a new building, state of the art, easy parking, easy access and first class service.  They are a bit sheepish. The same surgeon said she was in the 1 to 2% group who had the problem return. They are impressed with the local doc as none of them can feel the lump but tests confirm it is there.  The lymph node system is a drainage channel where something can hide. At around 2011/2012 some smart doctors invented Pembro. The name is actually a lot longer.  This cancer hides from your immune system by masking itself as a good guy. This medicine can take away the mask and let the immune system go to work. So after three doses the cancer was killed off but for good measure a neck operation was performed to remove 29 lymph nodes being thorough.  Down the track, surgeries may not be needed.  The main thing now is to wind back the immune system from its enthusiastic attacks because the problem has gone. Time to celebrate.

Wheel of Time

There is a set of books on my shelf where all 14 volumes do take up the entire shelf. It was being filmed as a multi series TV show by Amazon Prime but they cancelled it after 3 seasons. The wimps. I need some stamp album expansion space so I am endeavouring to give this lot to the Willie library here as I have not seen it on their shelves. There is a spot where donations can be placed but I want to verify they can use this lot before carting it up there.  We have been slow to return books and I have noticed a highlight pen has been used on our entries in the register so the book detective is onto us already for tardiness.

Update: We just had the librarian who happens to live directly across the way in here to give the verdict. They are overwhelmed with boxes of books. They will make an exception however these, despite the good condition, will not fit. So I can't give them away.

A one metre shelf will do this lot easily

Footsies

 Yes I am getting in touch with my feet because they do a lot of work and it seems men especially do not thing about them much. When I stubbed my toe last month that made me sit up and take notice. So that is all in the past, as our neighbour Jill has treated us to the ways and means of having a foot spa. Now this is something new to me consisting firstly of a soak then a crunchy scrub and finishing off with a moisture cream.  Now I can put my feet up.

Post Easter Feaster beach clean

There were some good beach days over Easter and the Sunday was quite busy so I was expecting  a bit of a mess.  There were some sneaky types hiding rubbish in the bushes, like the takeaway fish & chip wrappings, complete with two large tubs of sauce. Other than that the beach was quite presentable. I got the usual tide line butts, caps, rope pieces and small plastics but no bottles or cans. The breeze was strong and warm this morning so there may be more washed in tomorrow. Yesterday we spied a drone spying us. There was a sign saying survey in progress but they certainly got us in their sights. There is a spot between rocks that can cut off the breezes.

Eastern Beach

Western Beach

hidden by the lazy

Ride to the Pool

We followed up on the Winter swimming idea by checking out the local pool.  There is a huge construction for stage 2 right now that includes an indoor pool and gym. The pool will be closed soon for Winter due to construction activity. We collared a local swimmer who says that is just an excuse. She says it is also closed for wind, for rain, for school use, for lack of an attendant, any reason they can think of. It seems to me when stage 2 is open it has to stay open.  There is always plenty of water across the road if a dip is required.

Collendina Report No966

 We went for a grandie visit to Collendina on the final holiday. It was rainy but the park was busy. The new owner policy of opening up every piece of spare space to blowin vans is working, as it was full in places where I had never seen vans before. It doesn't stop them from jacking prices by hundreds at a time. The old van is a bit worse for where. It was 30 yar old when we bought it and that was 25 yar ago. There is not much holding it together. When the Sun got out we got out as far as the playground, board games can only last so long. 

nothing happier than a chocolate...

lunch...

Where is the lens on these things?

Grandie Easter

Easter Sunday was much quieter than last year. It was not until late did we get some small visitors with lots of energy.  Even so the Easter bags here had activity sets in them as well as the usual egg so some quiet time was had building and glueing, cutting and sticking although the glue was not so sticky. Other games were had including billiards as Asher can now reach across the table better.  Kaia was on the prowl the whole time. There is not a door or a drawer that cannot be opened.

get the cover off first

Eggsactly

 It seems good google has advised that submerging the copper tubs even just 10 cm into the dirt will eventually give them some rust and rot down the track.  There are two of these barrels to go in and the one that was in has now been removed for some black tar painting around the bottom rim. Our neighbours from the egg farm have come for Easter and brought plenty of .... you guessed it ..... EGGs.  Not the chocolate kind but we will have them. There were also boxes of zuchini to give away and they have setup a unique clothes rack vegetable stall with signage. I have seen a few cuctomers grabbing a bargain. It is busy outside and on the water with ideal conditions.

the bunny left us real eggs

running rings around 

zuchini seaside

A Delivery of Stones

 It takes a day or two to get back into the rhythm of stuff and when it's also Easter and the next day everything is closed so the day after there are twice as many people out and about, yadda yadda. The garden here has been ignored for a while so the grass has had a cut and a trim. There are also bags of stones. If stones are the paint for a rock garden canvas then there is going to be a lot more painting. We have bags with small stones and bags with big stones. Out the back I had a quick peruse and there is nothing doing. The tomatoes are green balls now on wilting stalks and no strawbs. The olives look to be thriving and will be an oliviathan harvest.