BotanicaH

 It seems more was packed into this weekend than the entire Darwin week.  The hospital visit was originally unintended however a Friday meetup was organised for a detailed examination by another raft of doctors. The Saturday was Elyce's surprise 40th Knees Up at a place called Botanicah in the Prahan high end shopping strip.  Yes we were in a shed with a lot of plants. How this place fends off the buy out offers is a mystery.  This morning we were up before sparrow fart and back to the scene of the ribbing at the church in MontMorency, for more photos. At least we know it was all worth it, as the school has accepted Estelle as a student. No comments here on the selection process. 

Who's boots

hot chocolate milk

Dead Man's Grave

 I have tried a new author for me with this book set in the land of the Scots.  It all seemed a bit predictable being a crime yarn rather than a whodunit. The bad guys are being chased by a few cops not on the take etc etc.  It started well with a mystery about a grave enscribed with "Never to be Opened". This part was a true story about such a grave. The grave was part of a feud problem going way back.  At least the author did not try to get much of a Scottish accent into the writing.

Morning Birds

 I got one of the videos going from last week taken off the balcony generally filming the scene however there was also some bird tweeting going on. I was doing a similar thing back here trying to keep a bird focused in the lens. I was distracted by a guy in a full sci fi kit.  I have seen a pair of these swamp harriers buzzing and dive bombing before and got some good views of one this time. The birdman was really attentive and trying to record what I thought was a noiseless bird. The bonus was the landing.

It's a parabolic microphone

Wangi Falls

 We swam in this one 32 yar ago however the volume of water pumping into the pool was deemed too much for safe swimming this time around due to the lingering wet season. There was a second reason which you can see briefly at the end of the clip. Two large crocodile traps were in place just in case. The trap stank from an old pig leg used to lure them in. One of the indicators for crocs is a bouy that floats and bobs on the water. It is a large plasticine marker which crocs just have to investigate and when they clamp on it there are teeth marks left behind.

There must be a lot of three legged pigs running around

Florence Falls

 The water camera was buried deep in the suitcase after this day trip to Litchfield. I got some clips together to give an idea of swimming there. The clarity of the water is "to the bottom" eg where ever I went I could see the bottom clear as day.  Good considering the number of people messing about in the water. It has been an extra wet, wet season so the amout of water at all the falls is voluminous, hence the clarity. The current was also pushing you away so it was easier to hang back and watch the climbers jumping off.  The fish are sooty grunters.  They are black hence sooty however with the noisy waterfall I did not hear them grunt. 

Red Eye

 I think I have two red eyes. What leaves just after midnight and arrives just before dawn? The Red Eye. This plane was packed as well and what a shock to land in a fogbank. I think we should ban this type of flight.  We went looking for our car in the fog and the photo of where it was parked was unreachable on the water damaged phone.  It does not need to be said that the greatest nophasement moment was when the phone got watered. This is like having an arm cut off and it was only the second day. We had the carpark exit pass on there as well. There must be 5,000 cars in that lot.  Fortunately the work around was to access the cloud from the tablet device and get the pass on my phone.  It must be phone size not tablet size to fit under the scanner. Always bring backup technology.

last pool session

last photo

Final Fling

Julie had some issues, as did we all, with the Hotel in general. Parties were booked for four of our nights there with all sorts of riff raff running rampant.  Sleep was already a problem with the heat and the renovations were incessant and always started at 7:00am.  Maintenance on the horizon pool closed it for two days and the comedy festival day included that pool.  Julie went to work on the last day arranging free breakfasts and all day access until we were ready to leave until 10:00pm. Hooray!  We were all done in but Debbie had this last itch that needed scratching. With a 30 min spare window we went into the casino armed with cash, all $20 of it.  Thirty two yar ago we played a roulette table and scored 17:1 with a $10 chip. We then decided to blow it all. This time around we tried the armless bandits and got onto some sort of golden patchwork where if you get the squares full of gold then you hit the jackpot.  We got 12 squares filled with three empty however that still gave us $35. so we cashed in and sailed right out of there.

we had to ask how to get the winnings out

Eat or be Eaten

 Yes I have been on the lookout for the right sized crocodile to eat. I have turned the tables, the five metre monsters that devour buffalo and humans are too big but The Oyster Bar had one that was cut into bite sized chunks. It is hard to describe the taste but the flesh was white and a bit chewy but tasted ok. I have now had green ants, termites and crocodile, I did see a few frill necked lizards in the garden.

WWII Tunnels

 The Japanese bombed Darwin over 60 times and there is still a lot of infrastructure around from back then. The fuel was stored in tanks on Stokes Hill but was obliterated a week after it was finished. So they went under ground, digging 400 metres into the hillside. The entry point was a little tight if people were coming out the same way. The larger tunnel opened out where displays and a film was running about the attacks. Only one is open from the 11 tunnels that were dug. The East Point defences have more to tell.

Mindil Beach Market

 Like a lot of things on this trip this market is a revisit. I am struggling to remember the last time at 32 yar ago but there were three children in tow who were hot, sticky and eaten by mossies. This time it was more relaxed even though there was more people. I would say it was about 60% food and 40% craft. The highlight is the sunset with a wide beach at low tide. The crowds applaud the Sun going down here. Must be a Darwin thing. We got a 5 minute pizza to share very tasty.

East RIde 2

 We got the bikes out again for a second ride around Fannie Bay. It is an appropriate name if you are using battered hotel bikes as your bum gets a workout here. We stopped at the food vans for an egg & bacon roll but with Darwin time this means it will take a while to get made. The market area was busy with all the setup going on for tonights Mindil Market however we could only see food vans. Time for a snooze as sleeping here is tricky with nightly concerts and high temperatures.

More Relos

We could describe Hayley as the last Darwin survivor giving it ago on her own here for the last 20 yar. We met her and boyfriend Dan at the Museum Cafe for a light lunch. She has switched from child care to advising carers while Dan loads the barges that service all the islands around here. Certainly a different lifestyle. The hotel was invaded for a ticketed event where comedians and singers have been belting it out so we retreated to the Lagoon Pool since they closed off the Horizon Pool again becuase we did not have ticket. How rude! We should have complained to Merrick when we were talking to him in the gym this morning.

Pool Time

 There are holiday rules like the nophasement rule. No matter what the problem work your way thru it without losing it. This was put to the test and still is with refurbishments requiring room changes and pool closures. yadayada.  Another rule is try to get back to the pool by mid afternoon and this pool is a doozey. The lagoon pool has been our venue for two days whilst the horizon pool has reopened today but does not seem to have as much shade.

pool supplies always in demand

One Hump or Two

 Where do they keep all their camels around here?...... Humpty Doo!!  Our driver was from there who also has pet crocodiles up to 4m long. The sunsets here are lingering and do not seem to need many clouds. Our home sunsets are better with clouds. The sports bar is a good venue for light meals however I am more impressed with the Townsville one but the locals don't care.  I tried the the lagoon pool again for a swim this morning and that is still a long way.

East Point Ride

 I got one of the hotel bikes out for a ride around the coast line to the East Point Reserve. I also did the loop through the Military Museum which added a few km. There are many points of interest, like knowing where all the sunset facing eateries are. There are plenty of good beach areas and park areas along the way with people in the water so they do seem concerned about anything that can bite. The military emplacements are huge, bigger than any of the German ones I have seen in France.

LitchField

 It was an early pickup at 8:00am for a 9 hour day. We drove ourselves to Litchfield 32 yar ago however this time we went via minibus.  Since those days, the crocs have really exploded in numbers to over 100,000 due to the the ban on shootings.  It is a $77,000 fine for killing a croc. We did the big loop via Rum Jungle and Batchelor where the original Austenried Bakery was. The swim at Berry Springs was cancelled due to a 5 metre salty making it home so we had to improvise. Due to the wet season just finishing, the volume of water has spread salties far and wide. Wangi Falls was also closed where we had the kids swimming previously. Buley water holes and Florence Falls were both open and not to crowded. I tasted my first termites at a cathedral like castle.  Breaking into the mound was tricky. As for wildlife, we ticked of sooty grunters (fish), snakes, goannas, wallabies, bower birds, golden orbs, termites and buffalo but no crocs.

Beach Pool

 A pool with a beach is a rare thing and if it has a swimup bar as well like this one does then this would have to be the best pool I have been in. I struggled to swim to the end and back. It has got to be over 100 metres to go around the island as well. Getting the air con right over night is a challenge but we have a week to figure it out. We met Brother Brian last night and returned to the Fisherman's wharf for you guessed it, seafood. 

Darwin City Walk

 We may not be used to 34° but that did not stop us walking into the main town for a three km stroll.  We found a sitdown for a pub lunch before getting a taxi back. OK we said walk into town but not necessarily back again and as well there were the champagne supplies etc that we were now carrying. Also it was time to swap rooms, as the older style ones were deemed inappropriate compared to the nicely refurbished ones. We were allowed to tour a poolside apartment along the way where, at $1800 per night, two couples could have a room each. 

Mindil Beach

 I don't recommend arriving anywhere at midnight. This must be Australia's longest flight nearly five hours. The flight entertainment from Virgin worked well. We streamed two movies and kept the power up with a USB cable from the back of the seat. After the taxi and hotel check in we got some sleep from 2:00am but my head still has a fog that needs to clear. The overnight temperature was 24° so this will take some adjusting. 

seems Mindil Beach hotel is renovating

Impossible Fortune

 These Murder Clubs just keep coming and there is a rumour of a sixth one on the way.  This one is not so much a murder but how to get access to a bitcoin account that just keeps growing. Mind you the real bitcoins have had their ups and downs since first coming on the scene in 2009. The first thing bought with bitcoin was a pizza costing 5000 of them. Now, one bitcoin is worth over $100,000 AUD, that is a lot of pizza. There are cases about people paid in bitcoin for work done years ago.  There are strict rules about access. Five attempts at the password and no way to change it.  One guy has his data on a secured hard drive but if you exhaust the password limit the drive is erased. Seems he is now waiting for the ultimate super computer hack to bypass the security. 

Shopping Shush

There is only so much partying you can do especially only a day before going away on another seven day party. We had a gym session for around 30 minutes just to get the body going so it was an energetic start to the rest day. The resting part will have to be in the afternoon as there seems to be compulsory shopping required before you go away in order to cover all the shushes, like new shorts, shoes and shirts. We were also on the lookout for one of those finicky USB-C adapters. We have had USB covered for the last few years however more and more gadgets are requiring the smallest plughole for recharging. I have not been to Highpoint for years and now I have been three times in a week. 

Thru the looking glass

Puckle and Bustle

Puckle St was going off on a Sunday afternoon. It was a bit rainy so that would add to the bustle in the Picture Theatre. Since we have vacated the Moonee Ponds scene a 6 storey cinema has been built there and it was busy. My sister Leanne, also hired out one of the theatres for a private viewing for her 60th birthday. I recall a similar party for a 50th some 17 yar ago. This film was mostly CGI and was a whodunit involving sheep.  I did not pick whodunit. A good way to spend a rainy day, champagne, cup cakes and ice cream. I thought the film was a bit sheepish.

Estelle takes the Water

What's funny about the priest, the comedian and the old man who were all up on the stage today? They were the same guy. Except the stage was an altar platform.  We brought a candle that was previously at a baptism about 40 yar ago. Yes a reused candle. Now this presented the priest with a whole raft of comedic material from, it is supposed to be burnt to nothing, to we don't take secondhand candles here.  It was all mostly because our family was getting the full attention, as we were the only ones on the roll for today. Compared to tomorrow, where five dunkings were scheduled. We arrived with just one god parent, we did not know our lines and we got the answers wrong. Other than that he was quite impressed. When Estelle started signing the cross on everyones forehead well he was without speech.  Never in his career of splashing water had he seen that.  

There were some drinks and party pies later so a pleasant afternoon was had and the amount of detail that James has spent on the outdoors over there is enormous.  There is a seeded bed now, an enclosed broccolinium, a vine bed and an ent that is starting to flower, not to forget the plans for a flower wall.  It's not a green thumb but green fingers.

Flowering Ent

Baggage Train

 We have to treat Williamstown like a stopover.  We have to pack now for a longish 5hr flight most likely Australia's longest domestic flight. However there are three days of engagements before we get on that plane and my packing is rusty.  Also we have new bags with nooks and pockets all over them.  This is also being treated as a trial run for another jaunt that is close by.  I am trying to do this without a power board as they have been banned since we last went OS and at the same time USB has exploded to charge everything from your toothbrush to your backscratcher.  Mr Tesla has a lot to answer for.

62kg to Community Produce

 There was a bit more urgency in getting the olives down this time around due to a looming trip right in the middle of olive plucking.  I gave it a final go this morning which brings the grand total to 62kg. I was flagging a bit quicker after each session, ie one session per day for eight days. This is a record total and I would say there is at least another 8kg still on the tree but high out of reach. I could try the old rake them down system but walls and fences and spouting are all crowding the landing zone.  We got this lot to the community produce garden so they should be able to share them out.  The next thing is getting the tree trimmed sometime over Winter.  We have previously paid for this but will try it ourselves this time.

Fog Picker

Help yourselves