Hi All,
our day off and the weather whilst not brilliant sunshine was ok. After a few chores we headed off to Hobart. We stopped at Cambridge ay Hardly Normals and lashed out ,well Susan did and bought an expresso machine and a coffee bean grinder. The rationale being a saving of around $9 a day so it will soon pay for itself. Our intention was then to go to Mount Wellington. However the GPS which has been in the good books of late is now in the bad books after sending us to go along a road which if it was better would qualify as a goat track. I had the laptop in the car and after checking whereis it was obvious we had gone in the wrong direction. However all was not lost as it was only a short journey back to our second intended destination the Mona Complex at Berriedale. The museum is said to be the largest private exhibition in Australia. It is certainly different with antiquities, mainly Egyptian, dating back to 4000BC coexisting with some of the more extreme examples of modern art. It was a bit unsettling but in between the exhibits were some really unique works, very different. Hopefully by the time you read this pictures will be attached. Entry was free.
By the time we left it was too late to detour to Mount Wellington and to Hobart's best bakery/coffee shop according to our leader. We went to Sorell which has to be Bogan Central for southern Tasmania on the way home and stopped at Maccas for a coffee and a bun. They really have lost the plot there. They have the usual McCafe set up to provide a slightly classier experience for coffee and cake. However they serve the coffee in paper cups and the cakes in cardboard boxes so what's the point of it. I don't know if this is universal or unique to Sorell. Mind you we are talking about a place where the coffee machine was off at 730 at night on a previous visit.
It was community dinner night at the resort and as usual an excellent meal prepared by Ilan, Lynne and possibly some others. We only have on room occupied tonight but even with one room there is trouble. Their toddler threw up all over his sheets pillow, blanket and bedspread etc. Melody on reception drew the short straw of retrieving and supplying bedding just on tea time of course and after tea Susan was downstairs loading the soaking buckets. She was amazed at the volume but I guess that is probably too much information.
Tomorrow we try out the machine!! Only problem is we don't have a thermometer for the milk yet and neither did Coles or Woolies.
night Folks
cheers Simon
Day 93 Nubeena Friday 29/04/2011
Hi Folk's,
The lunatics were left in charge of the asylum today. Susan had a lay in as she didn't have to start until mid morning. I was a little bit seedy after last nights alcohol but would have been worse if I hadn't guzzled volumes of water during the night.
My main task today was, with the help of Bat raking up all the damp litter from the fire site. If truth be told he did most of the work while flitted from the goats to the rubbish bins to the water pump etc. We managed to clear all the litter away and move it out of site. There was some more freshly cut branches from the other day and i managed to get those mostly burned as well. I will keep the fire going for as long as possible as it is better to burn as you go. The fire heap is quite large and it is just a matter of raking over the coals and putting some dry wood on to kick it off in the morning. Pine cones work really well! Although that said it is our day off tomorrow so I won't be here to do it.
The place is quiet at the moment with our helper numbers dropping off. We lose Weiting in the middle of next week and then there are a few days before another helper arrives. That said we only have one room occupied for tomorrow night, so far so we should not be overly stretched.
Night folks,
Simon
The lunatics were left in charge of the asylum today. Susan had a lay in as she didn't have to start until mid morning. I was a little bit seedy after last nights alcohol but would have been worse if I hadn't guzzled volumes of water during the night.
My main task today was, with the help of Bat raking up all the damp litter from the fire site. If truth be told he did most of the work while flitted from the goats to the rubbish bins to the water pump etc. We managed to clear all the litter away and move it out of site. There was some more freshly cut branches from the other day and i managed to get those mostly burned as well. I will keep the fire going for as long as possible as it is better to burn as you go. The fire heap is quite large and it is just a matter of raking over the coals and putting some dry wood on to kick it off in the morning. Pine cones work really well! Although that said it is our day off tomorrow so I won't be here to do it.
The place is quiet at the moment with our helper numbers dropping off. We lose Weiting in the middle of next week and then there are a few days before another helper arrives. That said we only have one room occupied for tomorrow night, so far so we should not be overly stretched.
Night folks,
Simon
Day 92 Nubeena Thursday 28th April 2011
Bread and butter pudding! oh yeah
Noodle pancakes minus the nasturtium flower garnish
Hi Folks,
Another sunny autumn day here in the apple isle. Let's just skip all the blah and move onto the good stuff. Tea! Susan prepared tea tonight for the community dinner. I did cook the boneless 6kg leg of pork which of course was close to perfection apart from the fact the crackling was slightly burnt in a couple of places. Wine was imbibed, lot's of wine. The entree was noodle pancakes followed by roast pork and vegetables with a dessert of bread and butter pudding and ice cream. End of story :-)
Cheers Simon
Community Dinner
Day 91 Nubeena Wednesday 27th April 2011
The Gang
"Copping the Cop" in Copping
Red Lotus Tea
Salamanca Place Appartments
Autumn colours
Salamanca
Hobart Bridge
Sunset just outside Sorrell
Bunny gifts from the girls
Susan says,
The day started with a frenzy of photos, hugs and goodbyes, as I loaded the “kids” into the car for their taxi drive to Hobart and my extra day off. Having worked a number of extra hours I rostered myself for a day off, although I still worked from 0800 – 1000. Today’s departure effectively halved our helper numbers as Tatiana, Agnes, Peach and Jimmy moved on to other locales via the backpackers in Liverpool St.
We made a few stops along the way mainly for Agnes benefit, as she was not able to visit many local attractions due to her work at the apple orchard. I purchased chocolates at Anvers for the trip, then stopped at the dog statue at Eagle Hawke neck, then at the “cop” at Copping.
Arrival in Hobart saw me overshoot the backpackers as I was in the wrong lane to stop. The big smoke was positively bustling today probably due to the post Easter/school holiday combination, anyhow carparks were nonexistent. I drove around the block in an attempt to get into a lane to enable parking outside the backpackers. This attempt also failed, so I parked adjacent to Liverpool pitstop in a space which was probably illegal.... Liverpool Street like most Hobart streets is narrow and standing on the ladder road side hoisting the luggage down to Jimmy was on reflection craziness, confirmed by the terror in a truckies eyes as he manovered his side mirror away from my backside. Thankfully he missed me but only by centimetres. A quick hug from the kids on the footpath was accompanied by a gift for Simon and me from the girls’ two chocolate bunnies.
My quest for the day was to purchase some more leggings from Target, and cards for Stephs birthday and Caryns’ farewell from PBR. I did have a nice lunch at a Japanese restaurant comprising a rice bowl and red lotus tea.
I wandered the Elizabeth Street shops for a while then headed down to Salamanca place to look in the arty shops before heading back about 1500, via K&D Hardware, ( which I hear as “Candy”). A phone call and a text message from the motel required me to pick up 300kgs of quick set concrete and bolts, and I was thinking I would have light homeward journey!. The stop took about ½ an hour proving there are no days off in the motel business.
The bloke at K&D said the bolts were not available, and he had been on the phone to “them” and PBR, I did not question this and proceeded home with the concrete.
It was dark by the time I got home, so I had a spa, early tea and bed.
Night folks.
Susan
Simon says,
While Susan was otherwise engaged in Hobart I decided a different approach was required to burn the large pile of tree cuttings and ground rakings by the creek. To this end I built a fire beside the pile and gradually threw logs and branches on between jobs over the course of the day. However by 3 there was still a long way to go so I decided to go and have sustained effort. I was joined by Weiting one of our helpers. She had finished her alloted hours but was at a loose end. There followed a steady period of activity pausing from time to time to sit on stumps and enjoy the fire which was now quite large and sip on a beer. I was also able to introduce and explain another slang phrase, "bust your boiler" in relation to the effort required to move a large pine trunk. By 530 we had thrown all the timber on and were left with only the leaf litter and ground scrapings which were quite damp. This was an excellent result. I have been impressed by our 3 girls from the orient. They have been excellent workers.
Cheers Simon
Day 90 Nubeena Tuesday 26th of April 2011
Hi Readers,
First off today was not a public holiday in Tasmania. Apparently the Legislative Council decided that having a public holiday after Anzac Day was disrespectful. Ironic really since having a day off work with pay is an iconic Australian value worth defending.
Today's story illustrates the public nature of the internet. Susan as part of the reception function was explaining to some guests the various eating establishments available around town and mentioned Lucky Ducks our favorite coffee shop here. We are regular customers. The visitors were excited as they thought this was an Asian Restaurant because of the name. Susan was relating this story at Lucky Ducks and in the course of conversation found that the owners had been reading our blog as they google "Lucky Ducks" and see what turns up. Since we have mentioned it previously we turned up in Google. No doubt this post will turn up in their search eventually. Hi Grant and Kelly.
After tea we turned our attention to the bonfire. We have a accumulated a large pile (5m*5m*3m) of tree trimmings and ground rakings down by the creek and now was the time to burn them. After the application of fire lighters and diesel the conflagration commenced. Unfortunately the fire was nowhere near as spectacular as hoped and after a lot of effort only about 25% of the material was burnt. It made a mockery of the hour I spent rigging up a long length of fire hose to the bore pump in case it got out of control. In the end I doused it lightly at 1130 with some thoughts about what to do about it tomorrow.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
First off today was not a public holiday in Tasmania. Apparently the Legislative Council decided that having a public holiday after Anzac Day was disrespectful. Ironic really since having a day off work with pay is an iconic Australian value worth defending.
Today's story illustrates the public nature of the internet. Susan as part of the reception function was explaining to some guests the various eating establishments available around town and mentioned Lucky Ducks our favorite coffee shop here. We are regular customers. The visitors were excited as they thought this was an Asian Restaurant because of the name. Susan was relating this story at Lucky Ducks and in the course of conversation found that the owners had been reading our blog as they google "Lucky Ducks" and see what turns up. Since we have mentioned it previously we turned up in Google. No doubt this post will turn up in their search eventually. Hi Grant and Kelly.
After tea we turned our attention to the bonfire. We have a accumulated a large pile (5m*5m*3m) of tree trimmings and ground rakings down by the creek and now was the time to burn them. After the application of fire lighters and diesel the conflagration commenced. Unfortunately the fire was nowhere near as spectacular as hoped and after a lot of effort only about 25% of the material was burnt. It made a mockery of the hour I spent rigging up a long length of fire hose to the bore pump in case it got out of control. In the end I doused it lightly at 1130 with some thoughts about what to do about it tomorrow.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 89 Nubeena Monday 25th April 2011
Hi Folks,
We awoke at dawn to the strains of the last post presumably floating over from the RSL.
The day was glorious weather wise with more to follow tomorrow. Susan spent a fair swag of the day sorting out the northern store room as part of her master plan. Most of my day was spent down the creek with Jimmy and Bat. After pulling wood and rubbish from the creek they continued to mow the long grass with two Victa push mowers since our ride on barely fired a shot in anger before the boss bent one of the blades the other day. I assaulted a large blackberry thicket with the brush cutter and made more progress than I expected. Unfortunately I ran out of fuel and might have nearly finished it otherwise. However there is always tomorrow. Will be interesting cutting the overgrowth from above the creek without falling in.
After work I availed myself of the spa, sauna and pool. It was pretty popular this afternoon so will be plenty of mopping up to do tomorrow.
We had another delicious shared tea tonight prepared by Susan, Melody and Lynne. The quality of food of late has become a bit of a highlight.
Tomorrow night the boss plans to arc up the large pile of cut material down by the creek. It would be 5 *5 * 2 metres so should make a good blaze. Reminds me I must rig up some sort of fire hose tomorrow just in case. Although the undergrowth here is far too wet to catch alight methinks.
In other news it looks like the cafe will be reopening here in a couple of weeks which should make life interesting!
Lets have more of this autumn weather!
Lest we Forget
Cheers Simon
We awoke at dawn to the strains of the last post presumably floating over from the RSL.
The day was glorious weather wise with more to follow tomorrow. Susan spent a fair swag of the day sorting out the northern store room as part of her master plan. Most of my day was spent down the creek with Jimmy and Bat. After pulling wood and rubbish from the creek they continued to mow the long grass with two Victa push mowers since our ride on barely fired a shot in anger before the boss bent one of the blades the other day. I assaulted a large blackberry thicket with the brush cutter and made more progress than I expected. Unfortunately I ran out of fuel and might have nearly finished it otherwise. However there is always tomorrow. Will be interesting cutting the overgrowth from above the creek without falling in.
After work I availed myself of the spa, sauna and pool. It was pretty popular this afternoon so will be plenty of mopping up to do tomorrow.
We had another delicious shared tea tonight prepared by Susan, Melody and Lynne. The quality of food of late has become a bit of a highlight.
Tomorrow night the boss plans to arc up the large pile of cut material down by the creek. It would be 5 *5 * 2 metres so should make a good blaze. Reminds me I must rig up some sort of fire hose tomorrow just in case. Although the undergrowth here is far too wet to catch alight methinks.
In other news it looks like the cafe will be reopening here in a couple of weeks which should make life interesting!
Lets have more of this autumn weather!
Lest we Forget
Cheers Simon
Day 88 Nubeena Sunday 24th April 2011
Hi Folks quiet day here today.
Susan started at 11 or would have done if her computer hadn't still been on SA time.
I did a minimum amount of hours but still totalled 5. Another full house tonight so the crew will be busy tomorrow. I think they have 10 rooms to clean. I am on top of the pools which didn't get hammered quite as much today.
We watched the new Doctor Who (shown on UK telly last night) in the shed on the big screen tonight. Susan also has 10 or so episodes of the latest House to watch so that should keep her busy.
I had a a seriously large moth i.e. sparrow size fly in to our unit tonight. I couldn't see where it had gone to catch it as I didn't want our resident mothophobe to see it tonight. It was actually on my trouser leg. When I brushed it off and boy could it hang on it flew to my other leg. However eventually I persuaded it to leave peacefully.
Susan has had the room cleaning procedures translated into Chinese which should make things easier in future I guess.
That's about it.
Cheers Simon
Susan started at 11 or would have done if her computer hadn't still been on SA time.
I did a minimum amount of hours but still totalled 5. Another full house tonight so the crew will be busy tomorrow. I think they have 10 rooms to clean. I am on top of the pools which didn't get hammered quite as much today.
We watched the new Doctor Who (shown on UK telly last night) in the shed on the big screen tonight. Susan also has 10 or so episodes of the latest House to watch so that should keep her busy.
I had a a seriously large moth i.e. sparrow size fly in to our unit tonight. I couldn't see where it had gone to catch it as I didn't want our resident mothophobe to see it tonight. It was actually on my trouser leg. When I brushed it off and boy could it hang on it flew to my other leg. However eventually I persuaded it to leave peacefully.
Susan has had the room cleaning procedures translated into Chinese which should make things easier in future I guess.
That's about it.
Cheers Simon
Day 87 Nubeena Saturday 23rd April 2011
My Card!
My Ball!
Happy Birthday to me I'm a hundred and three!
Hi Folks,
Susan and I journeyed this morning to Port Arthur and dropped off Agnes for a day at the historic site. We then headed to Hobart to the Salamanca Markets for our day off to enjoy my birthday. After a bit of a wrestle to find a park we strolled to the markets. We walked up and down enjoying a good variety of stalls with many different wares.
There were some unique items on display and Susan chose one for my birthday present. It is a sphere resembling a soccer ball made of segments of native Tasmanian timber. The sections are pentagon and hexagon shapes. The construction is quite elegant since the segments must also taper towards the centre. It takes 3 days labour spread over 6 weeks to make one. As I said a special gift.
We had some lunch and toodled back to Nubeena pausing to pick up Agnes and detour to Remarkable Cave.
After catching up with events of the day we settled down for a community dinner. The Birthday surprises came thick and fast, a home made card, a present and a cake preceeded and followed by happy birthday renditions. It was a great finish to the day with much happy banter and frivolity. It is nice to work with such a good bunch of people.
Before retiring to our unit I had to do a bit of chemical treatment on the pool and sauna and backwashing the filters after the days excesses of the guests especially the children. Water everywhere, swimming goggles in the spa pump etc. People having fun! We have a full house tonight and Susan has 9 rooms to clean tomorrow so it will be a busy day.
It was a good day!
Night folks
Simon
Day 86 Nubeena Friday 22nd April 2011
Hi Folks,
Life toddles along. I only did 3.5 "official" hours today which takes me over quota for the week. Actually I did a bit more but who is counting. However tomorrow we are off and Sunday well who knows a minimal amount of time for me. Well that's the theory anyway.
We have a full house or close to it for Easter with lots of children splashing around in the pool and spa. Water everywhere, chlorine vanishing from the water into the ether. So lots of mopping and chemical dosing.
We lose a lot of helpers (4) this week after Easter so hopefully the room occupancy should and will follow else thinks will get a bit sticky!
At our communication meeting with the boss this afternoon I made the point that we don't want to be doing a heap of hours else we might as well be back in full time paid work. We will see what happens!
Anyway I need to get to bed early so I can fully enjoy my day off for my birthday!
Night Folks
Simon
Life toddles along. I only did 3.5 "official" hours today which takes me over quota for the week. Actually I did a bit more but who is counting. However tomorrow we are off and Sunday well who knows a minimal amount of time for me. Well that's the theory anyway.
We have a full house or close to it for Easter with lots of children splashing around in the pool and spa. Water everywhere, chlorine vanishing from the water into the ether. So lots of mopping and chemical dosing.
We lose a lot of helpers (4) this week after Easter so hopefully the room occupancy should and will follow else thinks will get a bit sticky!
At our communication meeting with the boss this afternoon I made the point that we don't want to be doing a heap of hours else we might as well be back in full time paid work. We will see what happens!
Anyway I need to get to bed early so I can fully enjoy my day off for my birthday!
Night Folks
Simon
Day 85 Nubeena Thursday 21st April 2011
Hi folks,
My day today was spent driving the Toyota van to Hobart for a shopping tour. It all went fairly smoothly and I only had to phone home for advice a couple of times. The last stop was the supermarket where I have never loaded so much food in a trolley weight wise in my life. There was milk and juice plus loaves of bread and other food stuffs for the long weekend. I left just before 11 and returned at 6:30 to the total darkness of another blackout. By the time I had put the bins and recycling out and unpacked the van it was 8 o'clock another 10+ hour day. The upside is there is 3 days left in the week and I have 1.5 hours left to do for my 40 hours.... as if that is going to happen.
Anyway had another nice communal tea mainly cooked by Lynne. The highlight for me was the olive and rosemary loaf absolutely delicious.
I had to explain "curl the mo" and "he wouldn't shout if a shark bit him" to Tatiana and WeiTing. Later in the kitchen I was recounting to them that I will be 54 in a couple of days and that I know it must be hard for them to believe I am that old as I am handsome like Brad Pitt. Tatiana immediately replied "you have a big head" another phrase I explained yesterday. They had asked me what it means when somebody is said to have a smooth tongue. After explaining about flattery I tried to sound smarmy and to illustrate said "Tatiana you are very beautiful" To which she immediately replied "I know" so I told her she had a big head whereupon she looked aghast and said " I have a big head?" Another 20 minutes of explaining.
They are funny girls and it will be as shame when they leave soon. I am enjoying the socialness of our current crew. They are a great bunch of kids and a pleasure to work with even if I do get exasperated with the language barrier from time to time.
Which brings me to yesterdays forgotten story. As if to underline my communication woes the chief asked one of the helpers to put away a couple of bags of cement. He put them in instead of under Lynnes unit. She was surprised to say the least. Anyway I got a good chuckle when I heard the story.
Lots of guests in for Easter here. I hope you all have a nice extended break. I bought 2 packets of god buns for us to enjoy while i was out shopping. Can't wait to heat and butter them.
cheers
Simon
My day today was spent driving the Toyota van to Hobart for a shopping tour. It all went fairly smoothly and I only had to phone home for advice a couple of times. The last stop was the supermarket where I have never loaded so much food in a trolley weight wise in my life. There was milk and juice plus loaves of bread and other food stuffs for the long weekend. I left just before 11 and returned at 6:30 to the total darkness of another blackout. By the time I had put the bins and recycling out and unpacked the van it was 8 o'clock another 10+ hour day. The upside is there is 3 days left in the week and I have 1.5 hours left to do for my 40 hours.... as if that is going to happen.
Anyway had another nice communal tea mainly cooked by Lynne. The highlight for me was the olive and rosemary loaf absolutely delicious.
I had to explain "curl the mo" and "he wouldn't shout if a shark bit him" to Tatiana and WeiTing. Later in the kitchen I was recounting to them that I will be 54 in a couple of days and that I know it must be hard for them to believe I am that old as I am handsome like Brad Pitt. Tatiana immediately replied "you have a big head" another phrase I explained yesterday. They had asked me what it means when somebody is said to have a smooth tongue. After explaining about flattery I tried to sound smarmy and to illustrate said "Tatiana you are very beautiful" To which she immediately replied "I know" so I told her she had a big head whereupon she looked aghast and said " I have a big head?" Another 20 minutes of explaining.
They are funny girls and it will be as shame when they leave soon. I am enjoying the socialness of our current crew. They are a great bunch of kids and a pleasure to work with even if I do get exasperated with the language barrier from time to time.
Which brings me to yesterdays forgotten story. As if to underline my communication woes the chief asked one of the helpers to put away a couple of bags of cement. He put them in instead of under Lynnes unit. She was surprised to say the least. Anyway I got a good chuckle when I heard the story.
Lots of guests in for Easter here. I hope you all have a nice extended break. I bought 2 packets of god buns for us to enjoy while i was out shopping. Can't wait to heat and butter them.
cheers
Simon
Day 84 Nubeena Wednesday 20th April 2011
Hi All,
It's all go here. The hours are getting out of control. 8:30 until 6:00 for me, longer for Susan.
I had to have 2 beers tonight with our home made pizzas. After the dishes I adjourned to the games room to play pool with the youngsters and acquitted my self reasonably seeing as I haven't played for x years where x is a large number.
I did the usual stuff plus a very neat paint job around the new window/door in unit 2. It was truly just like being at work a long day rushing around but not a lot of achievement at the end of the day. I wouldn't say we are overly happy campers here at the moment so moving on is looking pretty good!
We will see what tomorrow brings.
night folks
Simon
It's all go here. The hours are getting out of control. 8:30 until 6:00 for me, longer for Susan.
I had to have 2 beers tonight with our home made pizzas. After the dishes I adjourned to the games room to play pool with the youngsters and acquitted my self reasonably seeing as I haven't played for x years where x is a large number.
I did the usual stuff plus a very neat paint job around the new window/door in unit 2. It was truly just like being at work a long day rushing around but not a lot of achievement at the end of the day. I wouldn't say we are overly happy campers here at the moment so moving on is looking pretty good!
We will see what tomorrow brings.
night folks
Simon
Day 83 Nubeena Tuesday 19th April 2011
Hi All,
I arose at the ungodly hour of 6:30 this morning but in the end the bosses mind blew the other way and I didn't have to endure the trip to Hobart and return. I was able to do a few not very notable but useful jobs around the place.
From then it was a day trying to keep people usefully employed. We did manage to demolish the partially constructed greenhouse that blew down in a storm and get 2 frames up after a fashion. It's made of metal tube and tall and hard to handle so a bit of a challenge.
Today's funny incident occurred when the two Taiwanese girls Tatiana and WeiTing in all seriousness asked Susan if they could take pictures in the kitchen of the tomatoes being used for green chutney. When she said yes they squealed with delight and ran from the room. 20 minutes later I was explaining "Silly as a cut snake" to them.
After work at 5:00 I went down to the rocks at White Beach where a couple of our helpers had gone fishing. I couldn't find them but 20 minutes of lure fishing produced two "barry coutas" of small but very edible size.
After a pizza tea we adjourned to the shed for a movie evening and inflicted the Coen Brothers "Lady Killers" on our foreign helpers. A few laughs but at the end of the day a below par film. It give me an excuse to light the fire again though! Susan supplied popcorn for the microwave!
That is all
Simon
I arose at the ungodly hour of 6:30 this morning but in the end the bosses mind blew the other way and I didn't have to endure the trip to Hobart and return. I was able to do a few not very notable but useful jobs around the place.
From then it was a day trying to keep people usefully employed. We did manage to demolish the partially constructed greenhouse that blew down in a storm and get 2 frames up after a fashion. It's made of metal tube and tall and hard to handle so a bit of a challenge.
Today's funny incident occurred when the two Taiwanese girls Tatiana and WeiTing in all seriousness asked Susan if they could take pictures in the kitchen of the tomatoes being used for green chutney. When she said yes they squealed with delight and ran from the room. 20 minutes later I was explaining "Silly as a cut snake" to them.
After work at 5:00 I went down to the rocks at White Beach where a couple of our helpers had gone fishing. I couldn't find them but 20 minutes of lure fishing produced two "barry coutas" of small but very edible size.
After a pizza tea we adjourned to the shed for a movie evening and inflicted the Coen Brothers "Lady Killers" on our foreign helpers. A few laughs but at the end of the day a below par film. It give me an excuse to light the fire again though! Susan supplied popcorn for the microwave!
That is all
Simon
Day 82 Nubeena Monday 18th April 2011
Hi Folks,
Another long day at the office. In fact it was just like being at real work. I had a moderate grumpy attack after lunch. The source being frustration with communication with our helpers. However a quick beer and all was good. Something you can't do in the real world.
Anyway I have the portable generator up and running for Henry to collect tomorrow. Pity I won't be here to show him how to start it. I am accompanying the chief to Hobart to pick up wood at 6:30 in the morning so we can be back in time for the tradie to finish the sliding door/window renovation and build a deck in front of it.
Susan had frustrations with communication too and that washed over our mood for the rest of the day. This has moved the goalposts for our thinking re departure date. We also seem to be doing a lot of hours. Too many!
We had a another good communal tea tonight. My contribution was to cook the 4.6kg rump roast and roast the spuds. The bulk of the meal was prepared by Mel assisted by Agnes. We had a horse radish substitute made from natural yoghurt and wasabi. It turned out alright. It was a good finish to an average day.
I had lit the combustion heater in the shed for a movie show in front of the big screen but since dinner didn't finish until 9:40 there were no takers. I did out of principle go and sit there for 20 minutes and view a bit of high quality blu-ray rip!
cheers
Simon
Another long day at the office. In fact it was just like being at real work. I had a moderate grumpy attack after lunch. The source being frustration with communication with our helpers. However a quick beer and all was good. Something you can't do in the real world.
Anyway I have the portable generator up and running for Henry to collect tomorrow. Pity I won't be here to show him how to start it. I am accompanying the chief to Hobart to pick up wood at 6:30 in the morning so we can be back in time for the tradie to finish the sliding door/window renovation and build a deck in front of it.
Susan had frustrations with communication too and that washed over our mood for the rest of the day. This has moved the goalposts for our thinking re departure date. We also seem to be doing a lot of hours. Too many!
We had a another good communal tea tonight. My contribution was to cook the 4.6kg rump roast and roast the spuds. The bulk of the meal was prepared by Mel assisted by Agnes. We had a horse radish substitute made from natural yoghurt and wasabi. It turned out alright. It was a good finish to an average day.
I had lit the combustion heater in the shed for a movie show in front of the big screen but since dinner didn't finish until 9:40 there were no takers. I did out of principle go and sit there for 20 minutes and view a bit of high quality blu-ray rip!
cheers
Simon
Day 81 Nubeena Sunday 17th April 2011
Sunset 17/04
Sunset 17/04
Moonrise 17/04
Peach, Melody, Agnes and Rafi
Peach, Rafi, Ilan, Susan, Nik and Bat
Hi folks,
Another busy but lovely sunny day.
The usual jobs happened however the main job for me and my helpers was cleaning up down by the grotto which ended up with the wielding of a chain saw to clear trees blocking the creek. This task will be continued tomorrow. I managed to get the Toyota van stuck down the hill on the wet grass. I used the Pajero to tow it up the hill with me in the Toyota and Susan in Grumbly (The Pajero). I shall remember not to take it down there again! We also cut some wood for the heater in the shed for the movie evening tomorrow night. Of course it wasn't all glamour, getting the mankiness out if the rubbish bins was another of my tasks.
We had a social evening in the paddock tonight with a camp fire. Susan supplied marshmallows. The cooking of these in the fire on sticks was a new experience for some of our helpers. After completing her reception duties Susan appeared like the genie from the bottle with a large vat of hot chocolate. The helpers seemed to enjoy themselves. Especially making time exposure writing pictures with fire sticks.
At 10:00 I finished the fire off by smothering the large logs burning by burying them in holes. It was a good evening with light wind and light cloud. We had Bat playing guitar with tunes that didn't have lyrics so there was no singalong something we should be grateful for! The pictures of the fire are at the end of the evening when the flames had died down a bit.
Seeya folks
cheers
Simon
Day 80 Nubeena Saturday 16th April 2011
Hi all,
There was a mysterious object in the sky today. Reaching into my memory banks I think it was called the sun.
I find days where I am assigned to work on computer related tasks go quickly with not much achieved. Today it was installing the new modem router which did work but not sufficiently well to run the whole network in its current configuration. Without going into the intricacies i restored the original equipment and assigned my brain to recommissioning a portable (in theory) 8kw generator. The hardest part was wheeling it out as the wheels kept sinking into the ground. Overall though a fairly easy task with some more work tomorrow to transfer the ride on mower battery to enable the guy who is borrowing it to start it.
The helpers were tripping over themselves today and it was a bit of a task keeping them active. With the sun shining the emphasis was on planting whether it be garlic or blue gums.
The new arrivals seem to have injected a bit more life into the group so it looks like things will be ramping up a bit socially.
The boss is on duty at the aquatic club tomorrow for 4 hours and was urging people to come down for canoeing. We shall see what happens.
Tomorrow night we plant to have the a campfire after tea weather willing so that should be a bit of fun with Monday night is a possible movie.
We started the day with zero occupancy tonight and ended up with 4 which is a reasonable result.
The weather forecast is good in the near future and the sunshine definitely improves everyones mood.
night folks
Cheers
Simon
There was a mysterious object in the sky today. Reaching into my memory banks I think it was called the sun.
I find days where I am assigned to work on computer related tasks go quickly with not much achieved. Today it was installing the new modem router which did work but not sufficiently well to run the whole network in its current configuration. Without going into the intricacies i restored the original equipment and assigned my brain to recommissioning a portable (in theory) 8kw generator. The hardest part was wheeling it out as the wheels kept sinking into the ground. Overall though a fairly easy task with some more work tomorrow to transfer the ride on mower battery to enable the guy who is borrowing it to start it.
The helpers were tripping over themselves today and it was a bit of a task keeping them active. With the sun shining the emphasis was on planting whether it be garlic or blue gums.
The new arrivals seem to have injected a bit more life into the group so it looks like things will be ramping up a bit socially.
The boss is on duty at the aquatic club tomorrow for 4 hours and was urging people to come down for canoeing. We shall see what happens.
Tomorrow night we plant to have the a campfire after tea weather willing so that should be a bit of fun with Monday night is a possible movie.
We started the day with zero occupancy tonight and ended up with 4 which is a reasonable result.
The weather forecast is good in the near future and the sunshine definitely improves everyones mood.
night folks
Cheers
Simon
Day 79 Nubeena Friday 15th April 2011
Dear All,
A noteable day today for 2 reasons. It didn't rain and we have no guests at all in the motel tonight. It was a long day starting at 8:30 when Keith came to put up the laundry shelves and more importantly connect the wood fired heater in the shed and finishing at 10pm in the spa!. My afternoon was spent rectifying the bosses laptop, successfully I think. Tomorrow will be more challenging as he has a new modem router he wants installed for the business. It then has to be taken out on Monday so it can either be returned or configured with a new distribution router for the motel. Not looking forward to that one.
Susan encouraged the youngsters to go canoeing this afternoon. They all made it back in one piece. She also started training our two new helpers from France Rafi and Bat
I made pizzas for tea for us which were excellent although in hindsight 2 would have been better than 3.
Tomorrow will be interesting. Double figures of helpers and no rooms to make up. I hope they like weeding hehe.
night folks
cheers Simon
A noteable day today for 2 reasons. It didn't rain and we have no guests at all in the motel tonight. It was a long day starting at 8:30 when Keith came to put up the laundry shelves and more importantly connect the wood fired heater in the shed and finishing at 10pm in the spa!. My afternoon was spent rectifying the bosses laptop, successfully I think. Tomorrow will be more challenging as he has a new modem router he wants installed for the business. It then has to be taken out on Monday so it can either be returned or configured with a new distribution router for the motel. Not looking forward to that one.
Susan encouraged the youngsters to go canoeing this afternoon. They all made it back in one piece. She also started training our two new helpers from France Rafi and Bat
I made pizzas for tea for us which were excellent although in hindsight 2 would have been better than 3.
Tomorrow will be interesting. Double figures of helpers and no rooms to make up. I hope they like weeding hehe.
night folks
cheers Simon
Day 79 Nubeena Thursday 14th April 2011
Barilla Bay
Restaurant view
Artwork come seat in a city arcade
Timber sculpture in the mall
Hi Folks,
Our day off! Started with a spa and some housekeeping before we left for Hobart at 11:00. Susan decided we would have lunch at Barilla Bay an oyster farm with a restaurant just before Sorell. The food was good although I thought the main courses were a tad on the small side but that's just me! We had a mixed dozen of 3 different types of oysters for entree. Followed by Atlantic salmon for Susan and Seafood Laksa for me. Laksa is one of the dishes we could and should prepare at the resort for the communal dinner as long as we can cater for the vegans and seafood allergists.
We then proceeded into Hobart to the Northern suburb of Derwent Bridge where i visited Jaycar to pick up some driver bits.
I have said it before but the road system around Hobart is crap and today was no different, narrow roads clogged with traffic.
We proceeded to the city centre and parked in good old Elizabeth Street for $1.40 an hour. Susan visited the beauty parlor for a quick wax job and we then perused the shops. Susan focused on a secondhand book shop one of the better ones I have seen and ended up spending $40. The rest of the afternoon was spent in outdoor shops with nothing bought to justify the time. Sometimes it is good to just kick the tyres.
We drove around to the Village Cinema complex however there was nothing suitable in the normal section. The Kings Speech was in gold class but at $23 a throw we wandered up the street to a Vietnamese Restaurant and spent $60 on a nice tea. Then it was back to Sorell for coffee at Maccas if they hadn't turned their machine off. Well it was late all of 9 o'clock! The Wood fired pizza place supplied coffee and hot chocolate and with Susan at the wheel and me driving the laptop we set off down the well worn track back home in light rain.
Unfortunately we dispatched our first road kill (of the mammal variety) since we started travelling last year with Susan at the wheel, a smallish wallaby. The rest of the journey passed without incident.
Bed time folks!
Cheers
Simon
Day 78 Nubeena Wednesday 14th April 2011
Scarlet Robin
Scarlet Robin
Left to right, Agnes - France, Melody UK, Susan, Caryn - Tasmania, Rebecca- Ireland, Tatiana - Taiwan, Ilan- The Boss, Jimmy - Taiwan, Lynne - Aust, Nik - Holland, Wei Ting, Taiwan, Peach - Hong Kong
Hi All,
Some pictures above to relieve the monotony of the blog.
Rebecca left today and although she was happy to be going the place will be poorer for it. My repayment for shouting her one of my James Squire Golden Ales was 5 cans of Carlton Draught and a bottle of dealcoholised red wine imported from the USA that she found in her room.
I had a slow start to the day awaking at 9:00 and not entering the work arena until 10:15. It's a bit hard to get motivated when it is pissing down with rain.
Then followed the usual routine in the pool area although I did add some soda ash to the spa as it was a tad low at pH7. 20 grams moved the pH of 2600 litres up to 7.8 indicating the unbuffered nature of the water as we fill it with rainwater as the tank water has a tannin stain. Anyway enough of the chemistry.
As the rain continued I had another couple of gutters to clean one which had reblocked after being cleaned a fortnight ago and one that I had made a mental note to do and which had slipped from my brain.
The other task for the day was sorting out the mouse plague. To this end the boss will be buying more poison tomorrow whether it be the granular stuff or the wax blocks. I am determined we won't use it inside, but under the buildings and in the laundry where the traps can't keep up. Last thing we need is a kid nibbling one in a room or mice dying in the wall cavities! For the rooms I have requested 6 or 8 of the plastic spring traps mentioned in an earlier blog for use in the units. My intention is to rotate these through the rooms especially those where a guest has reported rodents.
I finally managed to get pictures of scarlet robins today. They have been a bit elusive. There are also some nice parrots I want o snap but they fly away before I get into camera range however I will persevere.
Susan's painful thighs had resolved this morning however a day standing and working has seen them aching again. I commented tonight she has "everypartofthebodyitis". This may mean we need to adjourn to a warmer climate!
Tomorrow is our day off and I think we will give walking a rest and have a day relaxing in the big smoke (Hobart). The weather is clear tonight so looks like it will be sunny tomorrow. I shall test and treat the pools tonight before I go to bed for my own peace of mind.
We have roast pork again for our community dinner should be served shortly.
Catch you later folks
Cheers
Simon
Day 77 Nubeena Tuesday 12th April 2011
Hi Folks,
A day of solid rain today! Must have been 60mm all up.
This morning I introduced Jimmy to some of the basic tasks of pool maintenance and then set him to cleaning up the shed in preparation for chanting tonight. In the end it was not required since the event was moved into the main building. As the rain increased in volume the drainage inadequacies of the roofs became evident so I donned my water proofs and clambered around them clearing gutters. After that I dug some trenches around the water tanks to channel away the overflow from the shed. Then it was on to rounding up the chickens and shooing them back into the pen. Had to laugh they were standing in the pouring rain drinking water from the water bin. The evening was spent doing some small equipment repairs and tidying up.
Susan spent a long day in the standing and working in the laundry and is suffering tonight with pain in her thighs. Hopefully nurofen and a hot water bottle will settle things down.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
A day of solid rain today! Must have been 60mm all up.
This morning I introduced Jimmy to some of the basic tasks of pool maintenance and then set him to cleaning up the shed in preparation for chanting tonight. In the end it was not required since the event was moved into the main building. As the rain increased in volume the drainage inadequacies of the roofs became evident so I donned my water proofs and clambered around them clearing gutters. After that I dug some trenches around the water tanks to channel away the overflow from the shed. Then it was on to rounding up the chickens and shooing them back into the pen. Had to laugh they were standing in the pouring rain drinking water from the water bin. The evening was spent doing some small equipment repairs and tidying up.
Susan spent a long day in the standing and working in the laundry and is suffering tonight with pain in her thighs. Hopefully nurofen and a hot water bottle will settle things down.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 76 Nubeena Monday 11th April 2011
Hello,
A day of drizzle and light rain. I achieved couple of things. First was replumbing the water supply hose to the pool making it underground and tidier than before. The second repairing the table tennis table. Both tasks assisted by Jimmy from Taiwan. After we repaired the table we had a fairly long hit of table tennis before I was called away as "something weird has happened to the table out the front of 19".
I tried to explain the phrase "Going for a jimmy" to our Taiwanese helpers. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have. Jimmy was a bit bemused!
I made pita pizzas for tea that turned out surprisingly well and finished the day in the spa the same way I started it.
Susan's big challenge today was filling out the 28 pages of the health care card application, something that doesn't fill me with excitement! Full house here tonight so a busy housekeeping day tomorrow.
Cheers Folks
Simon
A day of drizzle and light rain. I achieved couple of things. First was replumbing the water supply hose to the pool making it underground and tidier than before. The second repairing the table tennis table. Both tasks assisted by Jimmy from Taiwan. After we repaired the table we had a fairly long hit of table tennis before I was called away as "something weird has happened to the table out the front of 19".
I tried to explain the phrase "Going for a jimmy" to our Taiwanese helpers. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have. Jimmy was a bit bemused!
I made pita pizzas for tea that turned out surprisingly well and finished the day in the spa the same way I started it.
Susan's big challenge today was filling out the 28 pages of the health care card application, something that doesn't fill me with excitement! Full house here tonight so a busy housekeeping day tomorrow.
Cheers Folks
Simon
Day 75 Nubeena Sunday 10th April 2011
Dear All,
A regular day at the office today. With not a huge amount to report. We have a lot of helpers at the moment they are just about tripping over each other. I suggested we give one to each room as a servant, which got a good laugh. Hell I was serious! Theoretically it should enable a few of the jobs around here to get done. However throw in a language barrier and skills deficit and it gets a bit harder.
However that's what we get paid the big money for! Speaking of which the census positions are now open for applications so we better get on to it. We will apply locally and see what happens. If successful we will be condemned to a winter in this northernmost Antarctic colony. There are several scenarios swirling around in the ether at the moment. Hopefully in the next few weeks the ether will turn to concrete.
Cheers Simon
A regular day at the office today. With not a huge amount to report. We have a lot of helpers at the moment they are just about tripping over each other. I suggested we give one to each room as a servant, which got a good laugh. Hell I was serious! Theoretically it should enable a few of the jobs around here to get done. However throw in a language barrier and skills deficit and it gets a bit harder.
However that's what we get paid the big money for! Speaking of which the census positions are now open for applications so we better get on to it. We will apply locally and see what happens. If successful we will be condemned to a winter in this northernmost Antarctic colony. There are several scenarios swirling around in the ether at the moment. Hopefully in the next few weeks the ether will turn to concrete.
Cheers Simon
Day 74 Nubeena Saturday 10th April 2011
View from Mangion Blow Hole back toward Remarkable Cave
Mangion Blow Hole - "Nature imitates life/Life imitates nature"
View out to sea from Mangion Blow Hole
Crescent Bay
View from Mount Brown back to Crescent Bay and Port Arthur
"One more for the cairn" atop Mount Brown
"Happy Bushwalkers"
Hi Folks,
Well the perfect weather abated for our day off. A windy cloudy day but mercifully not cold. The wind was from the north a portent of a change on the way.
We headed out around 1030 taking Jimmy with us for his day out at Port Arthur. Before leaving I got him to ring our Telstra phone from his Optus one to store his number so we could ring him on our way back from walking to arrange a pick up. Of course I didn't realise there was no Optus coverage at Port Arthur! Doh!
After coffee at Port Arthur we drove to the start of the walk at Remarkable Cave.
The walk was mainly flat as we headed towards Crescent Beach and Mount Brown with some soft dune sand to contend with and travelled through thick coastal scrub up to head height in places. The track was narrow and the bushes did a good job of scratching my calves. The first stop was Maingon Blowhole. A very deep fissure in the ground with no railings around. It was very precarious trying to peek over to see the water especially with the wind! We moved on.
I could say we elected to walk to the end of Crescent Beach first before returning to take the spur up to Mount brown. However the truth was I missed the turn off.
Anyway we walked to the end of Crescent Beach. I explored a bit further towards the headland where more blowholes were located. After returning to the beach we had a light lunch and returned along the beach to climb up Mount Brown. The view from the top was excellent but the wind was strong. We returned down the hill, Susan picking her way carefully over the flat rocks. We returned to the car after completing the 11km in around 5 hours. From there to Port Arthur picking up Jimmy and returning to the resort and the nice warm spa to relieve out muscles.
Catch you later,
Cheers Simon
Crescent Beach
Blowhole at end of the Beach
Mount Brown Panorama
Day 73 Nubeena Friday 9th April 2011
Hi Folks,
A long day for the helpers today. Susan started off walking around the resort gathering "special projects" from the boss before he disappeared for a day or so. She after organising room cleaning before she left disappeared to Helen and Bobs. The rest was a pretty standard longish day.
The weather was glorious. We decided last night to have a fire tonight. Jimmy and I collected the wood. In the end we decided not to proceed since it was rather windy and we didn't want to burn the paddock down while the boss was away.
Tonight's blog is short since I have spent the evening testing out my new secondhand Nokia E71 phone I bought off Ebay. It arrived today and I now have Optus reception! Susan wants one as well so in between trying this one out especially the GPS function I have been wading through a list of possible to bid on in the next few days.
Ok it is late and I must get to bed. I want to enjoy our day off tomorrow! Hopefully a good walk and some nice pictures.
Cheers Simon
A long day for the helpers today. Susan started off walking around the resort gathering "special projects" from the boss before he disappeared for a day or so. She after organising room cleaning before she left disappeared to Helen and Bobs. The rest was a pretty standard longish day.
The weather was glorious. We decided last night to have a fire tonight. Jimmy and I collected the wood. In the end we decided not to proceed since it was rather windy and we didn't want to burn the paddock down while the boss was away.
Tonight's blog is short since I have spent the evening testing out my new secondhand Nokia E71 phone I bought off Ebay. It arrived today and I now have Optus reception! Susan wants one as well so in between trying this one out especially the GPS function I have been wading through a list of possible to bid on in the next few days.
Ok it is late and I must get to bed. I want to enjoy our day off tomorrow! Hopefully a good walk and some nice pictures.
Cheers Simon
Day 72 Nubeena Thursday 7th April 2011
Hi Folks,
One of those great Tasmanian autumn days today. Warm, sunny, light wind. Put it in a bottle and take it with you. With the promise of more tomorrow.
Was a long day for the old people today. We both did a lot of hours starting at 7 with breakfast for the school kids. For our trouble we had another lovely entry in the guest book. For the rest of the day it was a constant slog as rooms were restored to their previous condition and the laundry oh the laundry. I had my first blocked toilet that was cleared with a big bucket of water and the old plumbers helper!
Susan trained our new helper WaiTing on the fine art of room cleaning.
Fast forward to late afternoon and the community dinner. Susan the trojan lead the way and with help from Lynne, Agnes and myself a great feast was prepared. There was initial consternation when at 5:05pm the size of the boneless leg of pork was realised. 5kg! gees could be a late tea. The oven was fired up post haste. I basted the meat and took charge of that item through to its completion. The gas oven runs colder than the controller so I ended up cooking mostly at 260C using the appearance of the meat to regulate the heat. With a dose of good luck the meat was cooked to perfection with lots of crackling. This is not to underplay the accompanying dishes prepared by chef Susan.
Oh did I mention her rhubarb and apple crumbles. Anyway it was a great night with lots of laughs and red wine on my behalf. I will pay for that tomorrow.
An easier day tomorrow with not many in on the weekend as the season draws to a close. Might try for a camp fire tomorrow night!
Cheers Simon
One of those great Tasmanian autumn days today. Warm, sunny, light wind. Put it in a bottle and take it with you. With the promise of more tomorrow.
Was a long day for the old people today. We both did a lot of hours starting at 7 with breakfast for the school kids. For our trouble we had another lovely entry in the guest book. For the rest of the day it was a constant slog as rooms were restored to their previous condition and the laundry oh the laundry. I had my first blocked toilet that was cleared with a big bucket of water and the old plumbers helper!
Susan trained our new helper WaiTing on the fine art of room cleaning.
Fast forward to late afternoon and the community dinner. Susan the trojan lead the way and with help from Lynne, Agnes and myself a great feast was prepared. There was initial consternation when at 5:05pm the size of the boneless leg of pork was realised. 5kg! gees could be a late tea. The oven was fired up post haste. I basted the meat and took charge of that item through to its completion. The gas oven runs colder than the controller so I ended up cooking mostly at 260C using the appearance of the meat to regulate the heat. With a dose of good luck the meat was cooked to perfection with lots of crackling. This is not to underplay the accompanying dishes prepared by chef Susan.
Oh did I mention her rhubarb and apple crumbles. Anyway it was a great night with lots of laughs and red wine on my behalf. I will pay for that tomorrow.
An easier day tomorrow with not many in on the weekend as the season draws to a close. Might try for a camp fire tomorrow night!
Cheers Simon
Day 71 Nubeena Wednesday 6th of April 2011
Lunch Group at Nubeena. Left to Right Caryn, Lynne, Jimmy, Susan, Rebecca, Tatiana, Melody
Hi all,
It's 3/4 time in the resort versus the schoolkids and the resort is well ahead.
Today we started off down in the kitchen at 700 with the continental breakfast being laid out and the lunches being prepared. Everything went off reasonably smootly and one of the teachers wrote a lovely page in the guest book praising the staff for their friendliness and the quality of the food and accomodation. We thought it was a bit over the top. Maybe they were feeling guilty about the window!
After doing the poolman thing I was off until 1130 when Jimmy and I vacuumed and mopped all the rooms used last night. It was a pretty big effort by the girls to clean and make up the beds albeit with only a bottom sheet. The laundry was bulging at the seams by the time the towels were factored in.
Susan organised a team lunch out in the sun on the deck which everyone enjoyed. Then it was back to task until Ilan appeared from his office. "Simon".... I knew in my mind what it was yes the transport arrangement to pick up 2 helpers tomorrow had gone amiss and i was off to Hobart to pick up WeiTing. I arrived at the airport and stood chatting to her while we waited for what seemed like an eternity for the baggage. We then performed the obligatory visit to K & D Mitre 10 for infra red globes, mouse bait and insulating tape before heading on to Sorell for fuel and Maccas coffee for the driver.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived after 6:30 just in time for the fimal sitting of dinner.
Dinner had been executed smoothly with Susan directing traffic and all that was left was a tidy up and setting up the non perishables for breakfast. Apparently group 2 were much better behaved after hearing the tales of the minor mayhem of group 1!
Susan and I adjourned to the spa before bed. I think we were the only people in the water today. That's the way I like it! I won't have to vacuum the pool tomorrow.
The local paper had information that 9 census collectors are required on the peninsula. We could do the census collection here. It would save a long drive to the NT. We will think about that one. I have also bought a secong hand dual band phone on Ebay so hopefully our Optus numbers will be on the air shortly!!
Cheers Simon
Lunch on the Deck
Day 70 Nubeena Tuesday 5th April 2011
Hi All,
It's half time in the school kid invasion! Things went pretty well today thanks to Susan and Rebecca who directed operations, ably supported by their band of helpers. I helped by staying out of the way and obeying all commands!
This morning all the beds had to be stripped and left with a bottom sheet and a pillow so the kids could use sleeping bags. Crockery had to be removed from rooms so there was enough for the meal settings. An evening meal was provided (in two sittings)with a pizza entree, main course (lasagna) and dessert to be followed tomorrow by breakfast and a packed lunch. Also tomorrow all rooms are cleaned and we repeat the exercise. Around 40 kids in each group. Teenagers aged circa 14 - 15 so need i say more. They have only managed to break one window so far. An outside one on the end of the verandah. I picked up the pieces and vacuumed the fragments from the tennis court and verandah.
Just as well the wet area is lockable and was locked! I have been taking great care with the water quality and the last thing i need is people using the facilities!
The only other speed hump was all the special dietary requirements, what a mine field. At one stage I was at the supermarket buying dairy free margarine! I didn't know that margarine had dairy but on the label of some was declared "dairy solids"
Anyway as i said it all went pretty well. Worst part about tomorrow is the 700 start.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
It's half time in the school kid invasion! Things went pretty well today thanks to Susan and Rebecca who directed operations, ably supported by their band of helpers. I helped by staying out of the way and obeying all commands!
This morning all the beds had to be stripped and left with a bottom sheet and a pillow so the kids could use sleeping bags. Crockery had to be removed from rooms so there was enough for the meal settings. An evening meal was provided (in two sittings)with a pizza entree, main course (lasagna) and dessert to be followed tomorrow by breakfast and a packed lunch. Also tomorrow all rooms are cleaned and we repeat the exercise. Around 40 kids in each group. Teenagers aged circa 14 - 15 so need i say more. They have only managed to break one window so far. An outside one on the end of the verandah. I picked up the pieces and vacuumed the fragments from the tennis court and verandah.
Just as well the wet area is lockable and was locked! I have been taking great care with the water quality and the last thing i need is people using the facilities!
The only other speed hump was all the special dietary requirements, what a mine field. At one stage I was at the supermarket buying dairy free margarine! I didn't know that margarine had dairy but on the label of some was declared "dairy solids"
Anyway as i said it all went pretty well. Worst part about tomorrow is the 700 start.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 69 Nubeena Monday 4th April 2011
Hi Folks,
The Antarctic gale abated this morning allowing rain to fall, well showers actually.
It was a calm before the storm day here. We have the schoolkids and their dietary requirements arriving tomorrow. Somehow it will all come together I am sure.
Our as yet unnamed goat is becoming tamer. I will get the collar on with out too much trauma in the next couple of days hopefully. I had to play hunt the chickens last night as they were all out and I forgot about them until after dark. After a few minutes searching I located them all huddled together on a piece of RSJ. They were all asleep so it was easy to pick them up and drop them back in the enclosure. Must ask why their wings never got clipped by the boss.
We have been chewing through the credit on our Telstra prepaid at a rate of knots since our Optus Mobiles don’t work. Just out of interest I checked their coverage map. Lo and behold there is coverage but you need a dual band phone which neither of us have. I rang them today and I think they have been taking lessons from Telstra customer service. 30 minutes talking around in circles and I knew nothing more than I did before I called. I need to buy a prepaid with dual band capabilities. I will pursue this at a later date.
We have been explaining some aussie slang terms to our overseas helpers. Such as,
“Flat out like a lizard drinking” “Don’t come the raw prawn with me” “Black as a dogs guts” “ Hollow legs” “G’day Cobber” “Running around like headless chooks” “pull your bloody head in” “look like a stunned mullet” “up shit creek without a paddle” “stone the crows” . We havn’t ventured into “bangs like a dunny door” yet.
I actually had to look up a slang dictionary since I was scratching my head a bit. Reading this one made me realise how many slang words we use and take for granted. We have had a few good laughs explaining to our helpers.
Communal dinner tonight was pumpkin soup, cheese and feta wraps and sticky date pudding reappeared. The "kids" take great delight in cooking something many don't do at home.
After dinner we had a spa and sauna to round out the evening. Tough job!
That’s all Folks
Simon
The Antarctic gale abated this morning allowing rain to fall, well showers actually.
It was a calm before the storm day here. We have the schoolkids and their dietary requirements arriving tomorrow. Somehow it will all come together I am sure.
Our as yet unnamed goat is becoming tamer. I will get the collar on with out too much trauma in the next couple of days hopefully. I had to play hunt the chickens last night as they were all out and I forgot about them until after dark. After a few minutes searching I located them all huddled together on a piece of RSJ. They were all asleep so it was easy to pick them up and drop them back in the enclosure. Must ask why their wings never got clipped by the boss.
We have been chewing through the credit on our Telstra prepaid at a rate of knots since our Optus Mobiles don’t work. Just out of interest I checked their coverage map. Lo and behold there is coverage but you need a dual band phone which neither of us have. I rang them today and I think they have been taking lessons from Telstra customer service. 30 minutes talking around in circles and I knew nothing more than I did before I called. I need to buy a prepaid with dual band capabilities. I will pursue this at a later date.
We have been explaining some aussie slang terms to our overseas helpers. Such as,
“Flat out like a lizard drinking” “Don’t come the raw prawn with me” “Black as a dogs guts” “ Hollow legs” “G’day Cobber” “Running around like headless chooks” “pull your bloody head in” “look like a stunned mullet” “up shit creek without a paddle” “stone the crows” . We havn’t ventured into “bangs like a dunny door” yet.
I actually had to look up a slang dictionary since I was scratching my head a bit. Reading this one made me realise how many slang words we use and take for granted. We have had a few good laughs explaining to our helpers.
Communal dinner tonight was pumpkin soup, cheese and feta wraps and sticky date pudding reappeared. The "kids" take great delight in cooking something many don't do at home.
After dinner we had a spa and sauna to round out the evening. Tough job!
That’s all Folks
Simon
Day 68 Nubeena Sunday 3rd April 2011
Garden Produce
Hi All,
Today is the second day in a row I have rostered myself for a spilt shift. Opening at 8:00pm and closing at 9:00pm, this is on account of having "Helper Only Staff" on the weekend. During the week Annette or Caryn work 9:00am til 5:00pm allowing a different rostering pattern. Due to the fact that Melody has not yet had a full induction to reception tasks; sign outs/ins, accounts, and the like I thought it best that I do the admin stuff and she concentrate on room checking and laundry. Things worked out pretty well. Except for the tiredness.
I was able to progress the procedure manual and cleaning schedules, as well as spend some time getting my head around the school visit on Tuesday. We were away for the last school group so it is a bit of the blind leading...
The most challenging aspect of the job is communicating with the helpers particularly when they have limited English. At present we have helpers whose native languages are Mandarin (2) Cantonese (1) French (1). They are a good group and are quite willing workers.
It has amazed me to learn about food/eating habits of our Asian helpers particularly. It seems that eating out for 3 meals a day is the norm, as a result some of these kids have never seen a meal cooked at home much less cooked a meal themselves until they arrived in Australia. The communal dinners give every one a chance to cook, and I have quietly made it a project of mine to encourage these kids to develop cooking skills.
Agnes from France has secured some paid work at the pear orchard, and has organised to ride one of the resort bikes there, to aid her navigation skills, Simon drove her to the site in the afternoon. While they were away it occurred to me that the "Hong Kong Couple" as we call them, could probably drive her as they work there also.
After introductions it was worked out that they had all met on a farm in Cohen. We all had a laugh about the small world and reflected on a couple of other small world moments.
French Julie who we only met for 5 minutes on our first day left for Melbourne on our second day here. English Julie was wrestling with her watch on arrival in Darwin last week and stopped a passer by to check the time, it was French Julie! Agnes also worked at the same school HelpX in the Blue Mountains as Marielle and US Ben, but didn't meet them. Ben and Jiwon have gone to the HelpX in Denmark WA where we may head next. I was calculating the chance of these meetings, and suggesting his was more than just coincidence, Simon the sceptic poohooed the idea.
A job I need to get to in the next few days is taking some clothes to the opshop, in preparation I let "the kids" look through the stuff and they all found something useful to wear, a scene from the summer sales! Armed with their new clothing and a ChupaChup, the kids retreated to their rooms to hop on to facebook and share the days activities, just like us old folk.
Cheers
Susan
Day 67 Nubeena Saturday 2nd April 2011
The Safe N Sure Mousetrap. Cheap and very effective. Woolies should have them.
Hi Folks,
I staggered outside this morning with a piercing cold wind blowing up my shorts! A sign of things to come.
The day was spent doing my little tasks and organising Jimmy, who works efficiently, to do multiple jobs. It is good having someone to help out as there is actually time to get jobs done that make a difference to the way the place looks. To my eye it is looking better.
I started on shelves for Susan in the laundry. However with no hammer drill things came to a stop. Looks like a job for the local handyman unless there is a drill that I don't know about. Speaking of the laundry I have killed 3 mice there yesterday and today. There is one mousetrap here of a type I haven't seen before. It is like a plastic clamshell with a spring around it. The beauty of it is the lightness of the triggering. With the standard trap you have to position the trigger bar to make them sensitive but this one is naturally sensitive. I'll post a picture if I remember.
Susan is pursuing her own improvement program and is also making progress. The helpers call Susan mum now which I guess is a good thing!
I was involved in cooking the communal tea tonight along with Melody from the UK and Agnes from France. It went reasonably well although it was a little bit bland due to my cooking style or lack of it. I guess food always tastes better when other people cook it.
Night Folks
Cheers Simon
PS I very nearly fell head first in the pool this morning. Kneeling over the rolled up pool cover to prime the vacuum cleaner hose and the cover rolled forwards towards the water. Certainly woke me up a bit. Very close!
Day 66 Nubeena Friday 1st April 2011
Hi Folks,
What can I say about today.
Not a lot really.
Our new unnamed goat refuses to go anywhere near a rope so will be languishing in the corral until she can be tethered.
I have a new helper who has only very basic English skills. On the upside he is an excellent worker. We moved about 50 cans of paint from 4 locations to one. I also had him doing weeding and raking all the refuse out of the animal pens.
Now that winter is approaching the mice are starting to come in. After yesterdays success I set some more traps today. Maybe I can knock them off before they get out of hand. Hopefully some of them will get distracted by the 30 * 5 metre pile of hay bales that are out the back under black plastic.
Did a few repairs, organised some work for my offsider tomorrow, cooked a basic tea and that’s it. All a bit ho hum really.
The pools seem to be under control. I would invite anybody with an interest in maintaining them to read this
which covers it all quite nicely apart from salt water chlorination. Probably the only thing new is legionella pnuemophila. Although having said that it doesn’t seem to get a mention when biological testing is considered in Tasmania. Given the vapour/mist that rises from spas I found that a little surprising.
Looks like a quiet weekend guest wise. The calm before the storm.
Cheers Simon
What can I say about today.
Not a lot really.
Our new unnamed goat refuses to go anywhere near a rope so will be languishing in the corral until she can be tethered.
I have a new helper who has only very basic English skills. On the upside he is an excellent worker. We moved about 50 cans of paint from 4 locations to one. I also had him doing weeding and raking all the refuse out of the animal pens.
Now that winter is approaching the mice are starting to come in. After yesterdays success I set some more traps today. Maybe I can knock them off before they get out of hand. Hopefully some of them will get distracted by the 30 * 5 metre pile of hay bales that are out the back under black plastic.
Did a few repairs, organised some work for my offsider tomorrow, cooked a basic tea and that’s it. All a bit ho hum really.
The pools seem to be under control. I would invite anybody with an interest in maintaining them to read this
which covers it all quite nicely apart from salt water chlorination. Probably the only thing new is legionella pnuemophila. Although having said that it doesn’t seem to get a mention when biological testing is considered in Tasmania. Given the vapour/mist that rises from spas I found that a little surprising.
Looks like a quiet weekend guest wise. The calm before the storm.
Cheers Simon
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