Sunny Side

We are getting some beach weather again.  A big chunk of the day was spent gardening. The edges had been ignored for some time so they got the treatment until the battery ran out but an hour later after the lawns were mowed the battery had enough juice to finish the job.  There was also a good old fashioned poisoning of weeds.  Later we spent an hour on the beach and checked out the nasty prickles I poisoned some months ago. They were all dead except for one that escaped.  The far end of the beach is looking better with an expanse of sand at low tide. We could also see that the pressing winds have piled the finer sand higher and towards the back.  Weather is always messing with the outdoors.

Bicycle Philately

 It seems there was a stamp dealer, now retired, who was auctioning his old stock of bicycle stamps. Now I have spent the last nine years trawling thru stuff to amass 373 bicycle stamps. I managed to win that bicycle Lot and in the last week have added 411 bicycle stamps to the collection. So I more than doubled the total from nine years of effort.  I spent $140 for the Lot and for the first time I might try to sell the 100 or so stamps from it that I already had. The Bicycle Philately group have a sales,swap,trade section and I have sent an email to see what is possible.  In the meantime I tried a sketch of one of them.

6th International cycle race 1953 (race now gone, as is Czechoslovakia)

Death of Dalziel

 This is the only other book at Willie by Reginald Hill so I thought I would take it as the other one by him was ok.  The Pascoe and Dalziel series is this guys bread and butter.  They are detectives and there were so many of these books that they could do six series on TV with them. We decided to have a look at one of the shows before I had finished the book. An episode based on some other book. That's when my mental use of the surname changed. On the show they were pronouncing it as Day-Elle where my brain was going Dell Zeel.  It's a good thing there are no others on the shelf as that name is going to stick.  The shows are dated now, as are the books, mostly all from last century but if you are into whodunits then you can find them on Foxtel.

Jetty Ride

 I did a short ride around to the next beach just passed the boat ramps. They are forever dredging the entrance to this mini harbour but for some reason the beaches here get less grass growth, therefore less wrack building up on the shore.  The area between the old and new piers is still clear of growth. I have never snorkeled to the end of this pole line but this Summer it is on the list. Fishermen flinging their hooks out has been one of the problems both from the shore and the pier, not to mention wanting calmness, water clarity and light. A lot of boxes to tick.  Last time I came here I had the Gopro on the handlebars and it over heated. This model is designed for underwater so when they gave me a brand new one last month, I have shied away from using it anywhere but underwater.  I think I will get a 2nd one without the sealed waterproof housing.

light water clear water

old and new

only a few grass balls

Beach Clean No 877

I have had two beach cleanup walks in two days.  I brought back a heavy bag of stuff yesterday and another bag full today. The main reason I went back today was for a buried tire.  Yesterday you could just see it but today it was almost completely free,  that's water action over a 24hr period for you. This time it was a much smaller tire than the last one but still gave my arm a workout. There were a few dogs running about but no dead puffer fish. The other day a dog grabbed a dead puffer in its mouth with nasty spikes protruding. A neighbour was frantic running about getting the fish out. She wrapped it in a poo bag thinking the dog would leave it but again the dog chomped on bag and all.  She looked at me with my rubbish bag and I could see her thought pattern, "If I could just put it in there."  I ended up taking it and her poo bag up to the bin.

grass ball city

This hat was engulfed as a grass ball head

yesterday buried

Haul No1

broken pier post

today revealed

Haul No2

Mail Messages

 I got a letter from Asher today posted from Fraser Island and they have been back from there for well over a week. It used to be next day delivery but I have got no idea what delivery standard this is.  It is good to know it was a lot of fun but she has already told me herself.  The writing and spelling are all her own work. There is also a birthday card here from Evie who made it herself with emphasis on cutting and glueing.  Yesterday we had a surprise dinner at the Shelter Shed. This is one of the few eateries opened on a Monday in Queenscliff. The food is good and seems to have changed since we rode bikes there on previous occasions. The Clancys were doing some shopping so we had an early dinner and I bought a $5 packet of used stamps.

VNPA Map Nerds

 Mick Taylor asked me once, what can you do with old maps? I have the answer now, which is to donate them to the Victorian National Parks Association.  I have been a paid up member since way back last century. I can also remember turning up to some of their organised weekend overnight walks.  A meeting place had been organised for a Friday night camp and we were the only ones camped there. In the morning a guy walks up saying the main group got bogged 2km back, so they just camped there instead. They had a furniture van for transport with wooden stools spread along the sides.

33 maps cost me $20 to send