Family History Update

 I did an update on this previously and the research and reporting goes on as it has done for over 30 yar, keeping both grandparents busy for that time. This is a fantastic accumulation of family data laid out in trees, words and photos.  The files are well organised and when you go to unload everything there is a READ ME FIRST file that you cannot miss in the Roberts directory. There is also an addition in the latest usb that includes all the poems and words that Great Grandma has put down in those years. I note that the first date in the tree section goes back to 1729 so at that rate the history will be back to the 1600s by the time my father turns 100 himself. 

In the background here is Mt Roland. I first spied this one on my Honeymoon trip and it took another 30 yar before we went back there to the top of it. Nearby are the caves and also the little known Gog range. This is a good area to get back to nature.

Late Orchid Hunt

 I was reading the local mag about such a good orchid hunt that was held last month around Anglesea and I know I had been waiting for an appropriate window to do one for ourselves but it just wasn't happening. How hard is it to co-ordinate three people. We did get out and about today, back to the Inverleigh nature reserve where we have had success before. This time not so much. There were many wild colourful flowers, swathes of orange, yellow and purple but is there an orchid in amongst them. We do not think so, as we were too late this time. There was a father and son team walking behind us who said they had seen plenty of high growing clumps of orchids three weeks ago.  The son was an avid birder who had come for the elusive kingfisher and knock me down with a a kingfisher feather when he found one and pointed it out to us in the tree right there, with a bug in its mouth. There were in fact a breeding pair that had come south for the Summer. 

It was still a good walk, more like a wander in reasonably clear bush land for maybe 3km in total with a lot of the time looking down. There are prickly trees about. We finished off with lunch at the Inverleigh pub and there will be no need for a large meal tonight.  I did find some 3D christmas toenail orchids.

Looney Ballooney

 Yes the rest day is here and what better way than to do some quiet editing of the ballooning video I took up yonder. Now this is the standard old style video camera that requires a good hold around the barrel section. I spent time gripping tight to it as the thought of it going overboard persisted. Then there was the inevitable swapping it out for some phone photos with the same thought. I put them away mostly but got a good 16 minute film which is too big for here but there are two clips, one on the ground and one in the air.  There is always the timelapse video on the selfie boom. Daniel is getting his eyebrows singed trying to hold the flaps open while the heat is on.

Campers & Champers

I was impressed with the van park. There were many styles and variations of accommodation and it was quite full for Friday but they came in droves for Saturday.  All manner of tents, vans, motorhomes and cabins were in use. Come Sunday morning there was the huge exodus.  Thanks to all the organisers for getting me balloon tickets and organising the weather and cooking the snags and the bacon and eggs. This morning we also moved out but identified a good double cabin with a roofed outdoor area that could be ideal for a future use. We can checkout if any dambusters have visited in the mean time.

Park Lane

 We all have cabins here at Park Lane Big 4 and they all had good beds for a nights sleep and boy did we need it. The grandies were not part of the Ballooning so for them it was playtime as usual with no holds barred. The pool and the creek were the main items not to forget the playground. The Mt Bogong races we did 50 yar ago always featured the same accommodation with a creek that the kids used to dam up. They would spend hours lifting stones and positioning rocks. It was no different here. To top it off we won the cricket.

Street dressups

 We got caught out last night when the halloweenie's were roaming around. Adults and teenagers outnumbered any kids we saw. Huge groups of teenagers like around 20 were about the place and one street got blocked when a party spilled onto the road because a large group arrived for their handouts. We just wanted to get to the Thai food shop for a sit down.  I checked the houses as we drove from Drysdale this morning and there was only one that was decorated around here. 

Training Day

At Willie, the Ilve oven has not been working for a month or so. The clock was working but there was no heat or dials lighting up.   After much twiddling by us and the local maintenance, we got a repairman in who took it completely apart, to get at a switch that was faulty.  That was a $350 fix but we had to do it.  After that I wandered over to the Gym for 20 mins on the bike machine and 10 mins on the rowing machine. Altogether it was 10km, 8km of it riding and 2km rowing.  The pool was vacant so I finished off in there for a leisurely 15 mins. Almost seemed like training for an adventure race but I have not done one of those for 17 yar.  I called in to the library and the President of the Residents Association got me into an impromptu meeting.  It was me and another guy. After five minutes I said since I was not a fulltime resident here I could not really comment. She had mixed me up with a committee member I looked like.  These old people (does that include me?)

last adventure race Anaconda in 2007

Never Truly Lost

 I have read this book before but if you are a bushwalker in Australia then this is essential reading.  Paddy Pallin is a legend of the outdoors and did everything from walking to swimming, canoeing, canyoning and skiing.  Then you can throw in the manufacture of outdoor equipment and setting up shops to sell it all. Some of the stories in here echo stuff that I have done. He tells one story of being the navigator and coming out of some tough jungle at precisely the spot he wanted and the rest of the party were suddenly surprised that they stumbled on this perfect exit. I remember doing the same in the dead of night finding our way out of a morass and exiting right where I wanted.  One guy was convinced we had fluked, that was the exact word used, we had fluked it.  I never went with him on a rogaine again.

One Electric Day

 It's got to be a sign of too much going on when you suddenly get a reminder that a concert booked six months ago, as a birthday present, is on tomorrow.   Now we are scrambling this morning to comply with all the entry rules and working out exactly where to go.  When we were at Werribee Park two weeks back there was a sign that said, avoid the Zoo on a particular day as it will be mayhem.  We didn't pay it much mind as we wouldn't be near the place. Wrong.  To be continued...

Volcano Trail

 Started the day with the Big Breakfast at the lake edge cafe which is on the same property as our cottage.  We got to the Mt Leura reserve about 11:30am  and did some some short but hilly circuit walks of these volcanoes with a 30 minute stop at the very bottom of the caldera cone where there is a seat centrally located under a convenient tree. The piccolos went down very well here after all it was 12:15. We had brought some bacon and egg rolls with us from the cafe but saved them until we got to Lake Bullen Merri. This has been shaped into a mega inland beach. Boat ramps at both ends, picnic tables, toilets, barbecues and scenery.  The water here was good but we were up to 32° by now.  At first we had it to ourselves but a few groups started coming however there is a huge expanse to spread out. We arrived back at the cottage around 4pm and sat under a huge willow tree for 2 hours or so.  We barbecued for our tea using our kitchen but I would not recommend the communal barbie area, it is a shocker. Overall a good spot for two nights but the accommodation is ancient.

PS My camera broke during the day. It did fall onto the ground at one point.

Hamper

Piccolo hollow

Kilauea

This volcano causes a lot of trouble.  We drove to the top of it which is not that high, only 4045 ft compared to the behemoth neighbours Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea both over 13,000 ft.  We walked around the Caldera rim for a while and thru some steam and gas fields.  2018's drama resulted in a huge subsidence in this area.  We found another ancient General Store that had sandwiches and champagne.  The drive down to Punalu'u black sand was fast and slick like a lava flow.  This beach was rumoured to have turtles but there were none to be seen.  Debbie says because it is Australia Day today in Australia we can have two 40th anniversaries.

Too big to photograph

Coconuts and Lily Pads

A Red Hooded ?

Lava Tubes

There are secret spots if you look hard. Yesterday's was the hot pool that survived the lava flow down at the Ex boat harbour.  Today we went to the lava tubes only 15 min from our hotel.  It looks like a scene out of the Alien movie. Smoothed curving mantles along hundreds of metres of tunnel until you get to the part where the roof has fallen in. Chaotic walking in the dark, except I brought torches for the occasion.  That was this morning. We are going off for bar food now I'll continue this later.  These are some of Debbie's Google share phone photos.

Entrance

Tunnel View

Smoothie

Luna Lava

2018 and 2019 saw a Kilaeua lava lake drain down into some old fissures. Today we saw where the lava had found its way to the sea.  Last year we saw an eruption from the deck of our ship and it was the reddest red you can ever see. Today we were on a beach which was the blackest black you could ever see.  A number of times we ignored dead end signs just so we could see what was at the end.  The black sand beach was created very quickly like with in a year. It used to be a thriving boat marina.  The picnic tables have been consumed and buried under tons of black not to mention  the houses. There is a declared volcanic zone where you can get cheap land for a reason but you take your chances.

Black and White

Crash

Hot Barbecue

Wet Week

We have endured a wet week here. Nothing slower than a wet week. So time to get some more digitising done.  This Epson A4 flatbed positive and negative scanner is one of the best peripheral devices I have invested in. I have been using it daily for a couple of years.  The series I did today features another wet week. Go figure. There was one sunny day. But I do remember a wet rogaine at the end of the week and many leeches.

                                               

Wilson's Prom 2000

Paul Carney organised a kids retreat at Wilson's Prom in July 2000. I remember it was amazing timing as the weather was perfect for a risky mid winter outing. I have reworked the old photos and just in time, as chemical reactions were happening to most of them in the bottom left corner. They had to be peeled apart. I have repaired each one so the issue is not noticeable now.  It may have been a two night sleepover but I can't remember exactly.

Piz Nair

Previously we had done lower level alpine traverses in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. This time we went to the top as far as the transport would take us. The hotel gave us travel tickets to go anywhere we wanted during the stay. OK then. First we took a cable car straight up from the Hotel. Walked across a bit to catch an alpine train which was steep. After that another cable car which took us to Piz Nair summit.  It was a bit cool but the sun was out and we started the long descent. Scenic is not the word.  We descended with many many stops. We had a champagne lunch at the head of Lake Suvretta. We saved one of the rolls and the third picolo for ron. The wild flowers came into it as well as we got further down. A satisfying day taking 7 hrs.  We looped back to the first cable car we had used at Signal Station. This took us down the last part to our Hotel.

Piz Nair summit - I saw one goat coming down

Wasn't expecting snow - we walked thru four patches

Swiss Alps

Mountain biker stuck in snow

Cool drinks

Flower burst

Lunch

Cold dip

Flower burst II

Meadow Yellow

Or should that be Mellow Yellow. The Canola has been caught in photo without really noticing it.  We have been drawn to this previously like bees to a flower patch.  What is the collective name for sunflowers? 

France

Local Scenes

I have put up a few pictures from the other day. There was a woman taking the famous shot down the centre of the old pylons.  I mentioned how I had photographed seahorses and rays and jelly fish exactly where she was positioned in her gum boots.  She seemed to get a bit nervy about where she was standing.

Yu Yangs rising

Point Lonsdale

Pier pressure