Hi Folks,
The helpers all toodled off to the Tasman Island adventure cruise leaving Susan and I in peace. We had a mail delivery from SA which included my new credit/banking cards the old ones expiring at the end of this month. Then followed the activation process quite simple and notifying all the billers who have been bombarding me with emails foretelling the end of civilisation as we know it if I did't update the expiry dates in their databases. I have arranged a dental visit for Monday to try to salvage some of the wreckage of my teeth. This will be followed by the wreckage of my bank balance no doubt. Hardly Normal omitted to notify us that a replacement coffee machine had arrived 12 days ago. We will pick the last one up on Thursday. The saga of the Telstra bill continues but hopefully next month it will finally be fixed since i foolishly changed plans back in February!
We have carried on having everyone tell a story about something good/funny that happened in the day when we have community dinner. The story was introduced by Rose and is a good technique for involving everybody in dinner and getting an idea of what they enjoyed in the day. Mine was a short conversation at the animal pen with Lynne this morning. Not quite verbatim.
Lynne had given the chickens porridge which they enjoy.
Lynne: "Porridge is rightly or wrongly supposed to help them lay"
Simon: "ahh"
Lynne: "I always have porridge in the morning so it's easy to cook a little extra"
Simon: "I thought you were going to say it helps you lay"
Lynne: "God forbid" and then burst out laughing walking back to her room
Looks like the video upload is working again in the blog so here are some from my walk to Cape Hauy.
night folks
Simon
Cap Hauy panorama
Cape Hauy cliff view
Fortescue Bay panorama
The end of the Cape Hauy walk.
Day 124 Nubeena Monday 30th May 2011
Blackberry Gully side view
Blackberry Gully down hill
Hi All,
Just a short one today. Today started with a chuckle. The ducks had all wandered up into the carpark as they do when the morning feed is a bit late. I lead them back with a bowl of scraps to the dam. Today the chickens were at the top of the driveway so i had to sneak around between the laundry and unit 6 the back way. With the gang of 6 waddling behind. Anyway the chickens who are not overly bright didn't notice us. I left the ducks picking over the kitchen scraps and walked past the chickens who followed me back to their enclosure. It must look a funny sight.
After the barnyard capers we settled down to finishing off the blackberry gully beside the driveway. The result looked impressive especially to Ilan who said it had always been a mess. However once the warmer weather arrives the blackberry rhizomes buried beneath the surface will spring into action. Hopefully there will be a crew ready to pull them out or spray them otherwise the effort will be wasted.
As the cafe launch draws nearer we are trying to use up food. Consequently we had a formal type lunch of leftovers today. Ate far too much and was most uncomfortable this afternoon. Tea was community dinner so no respite for the digestion. Susan and I then skipped over to the barn and watched Doctor Who and thence to bed.
Night Folks
Cheers Simon
Day 123 Nubeena 29th May 2011
Hi folks fairly normal day. Except the weather which was abnormally good! The conference continued with Susan attending. I did my normal chores plus a bit more gophering filling in gaps as required. Half of the new chickens were missing this morning but after a short mad panic I found they were hiding around the back of the chook shed outside the fence. The ducks quacked, the goats bleated and the chooks clucked and all was good.
The food for the day plus the room cleaning went off seamlessly as far as I could tell thanks to the efforts of our helpers who really rose to the occasion.
Community dinner tonight was a good example. A perfectly cooked beef rump roast (modesty forbids naming the individual responsible especially since there was no great skill involved), with a good blend of roast and boiled vegetables(Susan) and some excellent Yorkshire pudding(Suzanne). The fare was traditional and excellent. After tea a new card game. I missed the start but it was called Jungle Speed or something like that. Involving matching card patterns and grabbing a wooden icon in the centre of the table. A lot of laughs. So to bed and tomorrow a million rooms to clean well a fair few anyway so I won't get many helpers.
Susan's conference report follows.
The food for the day plus the room cleaning went off seamlessly as far as I could tell thanks to the efforts of our helpers who really rose to the occasion.
Community dinner tonight was a good example. A perfectly cooked beef rump roast (modesty forbids naming the individual responsible especially since there was no great skill involved), with a good blend of roast and boiled vegetables(Susan) and some excellent Yorkshire pudding(Suzanne). The fare was traditional and excellent. After tea a new card game. I missed the start but it was called Jungle Speed or something like that. Involving matching card patterns and grabbing a wooden icon in the centre of the table. A lot of laughs. So to bed and tomorrow a million rooms to clean well a fair few anyway so I won't get many helpers.
Susan's conference report follows.
Day 122 Nubeena Saturday 28th May 2011
Hi Folks,
The conference was in full swing today and we are full tonight. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner was prepared by a spectrum of people including the new cafe chef and of course the helpexers. From what I could see it went pretty well with the helpexers displaying some good talent in the food department. I filled the role of gopher, chainsaw firewood, shopper at supermarket, reception (badly) plus the normal animals and pools and of course dish washing and drying not to mention light globe changing etc. A longish day but not overly strenuous. Susan started the breakfasts at 7 and got things rolling before attending the conference and is currently (it's 1035pm) setting up for breakfast tomorrow.
I was summonsed from my room tonight to see the Aurora Australis for the first time. Imagine it would be quite spectacular closer to Antarctica although it's pretty cool here tonight so maybe i don't want to get too much closer. For some unfathomable reason I still can't upload videos to the blog so I might have to place them on Facebook. instead.
cheers Simon
The conference was in full swing today and we are full tonight. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner was prepared by a spectrum of people including the new cafe chef and of course the helpexers. From what I could see it went pretty well with the helpexers displaying some good talent in the food department. I filled the role of gopher, chainsaw firewood, shopper at supermarket, reception (badly) plus the normal animals and pools and of course dish washing and drying not to mention light globe changing etc. A longish day but not overly strenuous. Susan started the breakfasts at 7 and got things rolling before attending the conference and is currently (it's 1035pm) setting up for breakfast tomorrow.
I was summonsed from my room tonight to see the Aurora Australis for the first time. Imagine it would be quite spectacular closer to Antarctica although it's pretty cool here tonight so maybe i don't want to get too much closer. For some unfathomable reason I still can't upload videos to the blog so I might have to place them on Facebook. instead.
cheers Simon
Day 121 Nubeena 27th May 2011
Cape Pillar
Totem Pole
Rocky outcrop
Looking North
Walking Track
Hi Folks,
Susan worked today from 730am to 1130pm in preparation for the conference on sustainability. I was strategically on my day off as allocated by Susan. It was supposed to be Thursday but then became today.
After arising at civilised hour and having a large breakfast i headed to Fortescue Bay to do the walk to Cape Hauy. This is part of the proposed 3 capes walk. The other 2 being Cape Pillar which is a 2 dayer and Cape Raoul which I am yet to do.
Being a showery day i packed my wet weather gear and wore my fleecy jumper. None of these items were required. The first part of the walk is a long uphill section which had the sweat pouring off of me. The walk starts at sea level and ends at an elevation of around 200 metres. Consequently it took me 2.5 hours to get there and 1.3 hours to walk back. The views from the cliffs were quite precipitous and i wasn't keen to get too close to the edge. The two spires at the end of the walk are called the totem pole and the candle stick. Some lunatics actually climb these. The other item of note was a couple of fairly large tuna type fish being cleaned at the boat ramp when i got back. Unfortunately I didn't see the whole fish. I could only vaguely see the heads and frames in the water on the bottom.
Returning to the resort my phone rang and Susan was asking when i would be back as trailers had to be moved. This i did, along with testing the pools, feeding the ducks, drying the dishes,lighting the combustion heater, washing and drying clothes etc etc. All part of life here even on ones day off. I did manage to squeeze in a spa. Tomorrow will be full on especially as the trojan is on her day off and attending the conference. Ahh after midnight again so i better get to bed.
I do have some video of today but the blogger is not co-operating so I will put it on as an extra.
night Simon
Day 120 Nubeena Thursday 26th May 2011
Hi All,
A physical day today and a longish one. Preparation for the conference on the weekend. Thus involves getting the shed more presentable on the inside which Susan was looking after and on the outside which involved moving the junk err valuable artifacts that were visible from the shed. Fan Fan enjoyed riding around in the trailer on the property waving to the crowds lining the route. To finish the day off I chainsawed a tree and prepared various branches for hall decoration.
After the days exhertions it was into the spa and a couple of Cascade lagers before tea.
Ilan and Lynne were away all day in Hobart not returning until 9 with more chickens. Suzanne prepared the community tea. An early hiccup where the breadcrumbs for the meatballs turned out to be biscuit crumbs with their inherent sweetness. She did a good save with further additions and everyone agreed the balls and the pasta were great. To top it off for dessert profiteroles, delicious. Seems like the cooking skills are alive and kicking in the English young. We have been promised Yorkshire puddings on Sunday so something else to look forward to. Once again the community tea provided a lot of good humour and laughs. They really are one of the most enjoyable events we have here. No doubt the wine has something to do with it.
Tomorrow my day off and hopefully i will walk to Cape Hauy. Susan will be working here and having Saturday off to attend the conference here.
Night Folks
Simon
A physical day today and a longish one. Preparation for the conference on the weekend. Thus involves getting the shed more presentable on the inside which Susan was looking after and on the outside which involved moving the junk err valuable artifacts that were visible from the shed. Fan Fan enjoyed riding around in the trailer on the property waving to the crowds lining the route. To finish the day off I chainsawed a tree and prepared various branches for hall decoration.
After the days exhertions it was into the spa and a couple of Cascade lagers before tea.
Ilan and Lynne were away all day in Hobart not returning until 9 with more chickens. Suzanne prepared the community tea. An early hiccup where the breadcrumbs for the meatballs turned out to be biscuit crumbs with their inherent sweetness. She did a good save with further additions and everyone agreed the balls and the pasta were great. To top it off for dessert profiteroles, delicious. Seems like the cooking skills are alive and kicking in the English young. We have been promised Yorkshire puddings on Sunday so something else to look forward to. Once again the community tea provided a lot of good humour and laughs. They really are one of the most enjoyable events we have here. No doubt the wine has something to do with it.
Tomorrow my day off and hopefully i will walk to Cape Hauy. Susan will be working here and having Saturday off to attend the conference here.
Night Folks
Simon
Day 119 Nubeena Wednesday 25th May 2011
The blackberry gully we are clearing. They extended almost to the front of the picture to the right of the trees and a fair way to the left and well above head height. You can just see some in the centre background about 20 metres away.
The duck house. The nets will go shortly.
The ducks!
Hi Folks,
A day of tidying today. I rearranged the garden shed and managed to start the 2 Stroke Victa Vac which looks like a good little machine. Much better than the normal blower type vacuums. Well better than the cheapies we have here. I also managed to get the tiller going as well. This is also a Victa. I tried it out on one of the garden beds. It didn't seem anywhere near as good as the one I used the other day when we planted the garlic.
We also tidied the shed across the road. Susan and Ilan did most of it. I loaded some tree prunings on top of the ones they had already loaded before i arrived and unloaded them on the next bonfire site at the resort.
The cafe people have surfaced. D-Day is next Wednesday should be interesting.
It was a calm sunny day and I was enticed to the rocks at White Beach for a fish. Unfortunately the wind was there in my face along with a good swell so it wasn't very pleasant. After losing a $15 lure I decided to retire to the jetty before dusk. Managed to catch half a dozen "Snottys" which I returned to the water since they were under the 250mm minimum. They are called snottys because of the consistency of their slime covering. Their official name is Blue Warehou and they are good eating so I am told. Anyway it has whetted my appetite for some more fishing. Other species caught locally are mackeral, couta, flathead, cod and squid. I did see a few garfish under the lights the other day so maybe a day trip might be in order. Definately can't buy "gents" down here though unfortunately. I could have stayed fishing longer but the breeze and general cold air made the tips of my fingers numb so I retired back to the resort and the heat of the spa.
At least we have a nice warm bed to sleep in unlike our animals huddled in their shelters. I guess they are made for it. The ducks were out swimming on the pond today not that my pictures show it. I went to take snaps and they all came racing over expecting a feed.
Night Folks.
Simon
Day 118 Nubeena Tuesday 24th May 2011
Hi All,
It's bloomin' cold here tonight. We have just returned from watching the movie Sunshine in the barn. An interesting film.
Today was one that involved a lot of aerobics. Mainly swinging the brush cutter back and forth demolishing blackberries for several hours. We cleared about 15 metres of the gully. The exercise is doing wonders for my back which is having a miraculous recovery.
If i had got my act together you would be viewing a picture of the gully plus a picture of the new out house for the ducks. Unfortunately it got dark before i could get my chores finished. I think it is dark here around 5 at the moment! The boat painting was postponed until Wednesday and they only need two people so i will stay here and Mael and Morphine will go.
The ducks seem to have settled in their new location although the 2 that like to fly have been parading up into the carpark area. I think tomorrow I will take their frnce down and let them enjoy the dam. The fliers landed on it when they flapped back tonight as i was coming with the food.
Night Folks.
Simon
It's bloomin' cold here tonight. We have just returned from watching the movie Sunshine in the barn. An interesting film.
Today was one that involved a lot of aerobics. Mainly swinging the brush cutter back and forth demolishing blackberries for several hours. We cleared about 15 metres of the gully. The exercise is doing wonders for my back which is having a miraculous recovery.
If i had got my act together you would be viewing a picture of the gully plus a picture of the new out house for the ducks. Unfortunately it got dark before i could get my chores finished. I think it is dark here around 5 at the moment! The boat painting was postponed until Wednesday and they only need two people so i will stay here and Mael and Morphine will go.
The ducks seem to have settled in their new location although the 2 that like to fly have been parading up into the carpark area. I think tomorrow I will take their frnce down and let them enjoy the dam. The fliers landed on it when they flapped back tonight as i was coming with the food.
Night Folks.
Simon
Day 117 Nubeena Monday 23rd May 2011
A very fat rainbow seen at Cambridge today
Hi folks,
Our day off today. This got off to a slow start while pictures were taken and loose ends tidied up before we took Nik and Rose to Hobart. We paused at the Tesselated Pavement for a quick look. After dropping off the departing helpers we went to the Ball and Chain restaurant in Salamanca. This is mainly a steak restaurant accrodingly Susan had an eye fillet and me a Scotch fillet. They were both cooked as ordered and consumed with a side salad and a glass of cabernet. After a coffee at a cafe we journeyed into Hobart central for a stroll to the bank and a potter around a few shops. It was then back to via K&D and Supercheap toSorell for the food shopping. I refuelled the Paj and then transferred to the Toyota which was parked there last night to drive it back to Nubeena. Ominous dark clouds appeared and the inevitable rain fell for the whole trip back to Nubeena. The most prevalent wildlife on the road was frogs. Susan followed about 45 minutes later and we settled in for a community tea prepared by Mael and Elodie. The food was once again good.
A fairly uneventful day off. Tomorrow hopefully the weather has abated as there are no rooms to clean and if it is inclement it will be a struggle to find meaningful work. Anyway once again it is late and i am tired ...
night folks
Cheeers Simon
Day 116 Nubeena Sunday 22nd May 2011
Hi All,
A busy day with a bit to show for it. The guys worked on the driveway, trimming, mowing, sweeping, chainsawing, brush cutting etc. After tidying we had lunch and then set about moving the house that the goats normally sleep in to the dam for the ducks. It was pretty heavy. We then built a containment fence with old fishing net to hold the ducks there while they learn that this is their new home. Of course we then had to get them there. I started off by decoying the chickens behind the hay stack with some grain. Mael and Morphine then enticed them with grain in a bucket the whole length of the resort down to the dam. The hiccup was when one flew from reception back to the pen. He was moderately traumatised when I caught him against the fence and carried him down to the new home and placed him in it. The rest of the ducks eventually made it. Mael said it took an hour. Anyway hopefully the watering and feeding will convince them it is their home!
We then returned to the driveway and started the removal of the blackberries. Me madly slashing with the brush cutter and the boys raking the rubbish up and putting it in the trailer.
The girls worked on the interminable tidying that accompanies the reorganisation and further preparation of the shed for the weekends conference.
The community tea tonight was prepared by Rose a short term visitor from Hawaii. Once again we had a few good laughs over dinner washed down with wine and beer. Tomorrow is our day off so we will take Nik and Rose to Hobart as they both depart, We then have to do the shopping and drive the Toyota van back from Sorell. Did I say it was our day off?!
In the past I have joked that the *quid pro quo* for the free boat Tasman Island cruises is probably scraping the barnacles off the boat. Funnily enough it looks like we will be cleaning and painting a hull on Tuesday!
I have accumulated 3 occurrences on tour that have reminded me of past working lives.
1> Brickenden historic farm tour near Launceston. In the farm machinery shed a diesel engine lay on its side with a hole punched in the crankcase. A familiar failure from my Mitsubishi days. Exactly the same mode. A bolt fatigue failure at the conrod joint face on one side with an overload failure on the other side. The big end comes off the crank and punches a hole in the engine block.
2> Franklin House Launceston. Whilst touring the building a familiar smell permeated my nostrils. The distinctive smell of metal fume from a melting process. Looking from the balcony I could see the source. The Launceston plant of Bradken a company I worked for in Adelaide from 1975 to 1982. We also did some work for the Launceston branch when I was working for Bureau Veritas.
3> Today working up a sweat in one of the old "chambrey" short sleeved shirts I used to wear at Mitsubishi. The distinct odor of the fume from SG iron magnesium treatment Assailed my nostrils! Must have been nearly 10 years since the exposure!
Anyway enough of that.
Cheers Simon
*Quid pro quo (From the Latin meaning "this for that") indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services
A busy day with a bit to show for it. The guys worked on the driveway, trimming, mowing, sweeping, chainsawing, brush cutting etc. After tidying we had lunch and then set about moving the house that the goats normally sleep in to the dam for the ducks. It was pretty heavy. We then built a containment fence with old fishing net to hold the ducks there while they learn that this is their new home. Of course we then had to get them there. I started off by decoying the chickens behind the hay stack with some grain. Mael and Morphine then enticed them with grain in a bucket the whole length of the resort down to the dam. The hiccup was when one flew from reception back to the pen. He was moderately traumatised when I caught him against the fence and carried him down to the new home and placed him in it. The rest of the ducks eventually made it. Mael said it took an hour. Anyway hopefully the watering and feeding will convince them it is their home!
We then returned to the driveway and started the removal of the blackberries. Me madly slashing with the brush cutter and the boys raking the rubbish up and putting it in the trailer.
The girls worked on the interminable tidying that accompanies the reorganisation and further preparation of the shed for the weekends conference.
The community tea tonight was prepared by Rose a short term visitor from Hawaii. Once again we had a few good laughs over dinner washed down with wine and beer. Tomorrow is our day off so we will take Nik and Rose to Hobart as they both depart, We then have to do the shopping and drive the Toyota van back from Sorell. Did I say it was our day off?!
In the past I have joked that the *quid pro quo* for the free boat Tasman Island cruises is probably scraping the barnacles off the boat. Funnily enough it looks like we will be cleaning and painting a hull on Tuesday!
I have accumulated 3 occurrences on tour that have reminded me of past working lives.
1> Brickenden historic farm tour near Launceston. In the farm machinery shed a diesel engine lay on its side with a hole punched in the crankcase. A familiar failure from my Mitsubishi days. Exactly the same mode. A bolt fatigue failure at the conrod joint face on one side with an overload failure on the other side. The big end comes off the crank and punches a hole in the engine block.
2> Franklin House Launceston. Whilst touring the building a familiar smell permeated my nostrils. The distinctive smell of metal fume from a melting process. Looking from the balcony I could see the source. The Launceston plant of Bradken a company I worked for in Adelaide from 1975 to 1982. We also did some work for the Launceston branch when I was working for Bureau Veritas.
3> Today working up a sweat in one of the old "chambrey" short sleeved shirts I used to wear at Mitsubishi. The distinct odor of the fume from SG iron magnesium treatment Assailed my nostrils! Must have been nearly 10 years since the exposure!
Anyway enough of that.
Cheers Simon
*Quid pro quo (From the Latin meaning "this for that") indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services
Day 115 Nubeena Saturday 21st May 2011
Hi Folks,
A sunny breezy day today. Main task was making the shed ready to host a small conference next weekend. This meant that the gargantuan freezer had to be moved again. It was accomplished with 3 people and two trolleys. The rest was just shuffling things around but we did lay some more carpet tiles. Since the weather was smiling on us after lunch Susan gave the helpers an early hour or two to go and enjoy it. I went to the hardware and bought mower blades and spark plugs and restored the third Victa to operation, cleaning its air filter and changing its oil. I also figured out how to adjust the open throttle speed which is constrained by governer springs.
Several of the helpers headed down the jetty to fish mid afternoon. I joined them later driving down. The majority of them left on dusk leaving Nik and I to brave a fairly stiff wind in our faces. It wasn't overly fishy but a couple of locals rolled up and I observed their technique for catching trevally, some sort of mackeral and 'couta. I landed a reasonable size couta which managed to bite off my feed spring and hopelessly entangle Nik's and my lines. Whilst removing the fish I fell prey to its snapping jaws and got a nice deep puncture wound on my finger which bled for ages thanks to the blood thinning effects of ibuprofen! I threw the couta back. However the catching confirmed that the fish I have caught previously off the rocks at white beach were definately "pike" or snook as we in SA call them. This explains why they were edible and will prompt a return trip to that location. I retired back to the resort for tea at around 715.
I have had 3 spas today in an effort to keep my back moving. I was stiff and sore this morning and reliant on the pills to get me going. Anyway enough of my whinging.
Tomorrow is a chainsaw and brush cutter day hopefully before the rain arrives!
Night folks
Simon
A sunny breezy day today. Main task was making the shed ready to host a small conference next weekend. This meant that the gargantuan freezer had to be moved again. It was accomplished with 3 people and two trolleys. The rest was just shuffling things around but we did lay some more carpet tiles. Since the weather was smiling on us after lunch Susan gave the helpers an early hour or two to go and enjoy it. I went to the hardware and bought mower blades and spark plugs and restored the third Victa to operation, cleaning its air filter and changing its oil. I also figured out how to adjust the open throttle speed which is constrained by governer springs.
Several of the helpers headed down the jetty to fish mid afternoon. I joined them later driving down. The majority of them left on dusk leaving Nik and I to brave a fairly stiff wind in our faces. It wasn't overly fishy but a couple of locals rolled up and I observed their technique for catching trevally, some sort of mackeral and 'couta. I landed a reasonable size couta which managed to bite off my feed spring and hopelessly entangle Nik's and my lines. Whilst removing the fish I fell prey to its snapping jaws and got a nice deep puncture wound on my finger which bled for ages thanks to the blood thinning effects of ibuprofen! I threw the couta back. However the catching confirmed that the fish I have caught previously off the rocks at white beach were definately "pike" or snook as we in SA call them. This explains why they were edible and will prompt a return trip to that location. I retired back to the resort for tea at around 715.
I have had 3 spas today in an effort to keep my back moving. I was stiff and sore this morning and reliant on the pills to get me going. Anyway enough of my whinging.
Tomorrow is a chainsaw and brush cutter day hopefully before the rain arrives!
Night folks
Simon
Day 114 Nubeena Friday 20th May 2011
Sunset panorama
Sunset
Sunset
Hi Folks,
A new complement of helpers hitting the deck running and no one on days off meant today was a busy one especially for those controlling the chaos. Excavations for repairs were completed around the rainwater tank and large clean up around the frame of the green house took care of the day for the males. Cleaning of 5 rooms, garlic planting and seed tube planting plus continued organising of storerooms filled the day for the females.
Morphine and Fan Fan prepared a "Taiwanese" meal of pork dumplings and Green Curry which was fairly spicy. Just as well we had ice cream and topping for dessert. It was a good feed.
The highlight of the day for me was the magnificent sunset as depicted in the accompanying pictures and videos.
Tomorrow promises more busy ness! Looks like it will be a toss up between a quiz night at the RSL and fishing for Saturday night entertainment!
Night Folks
cheers Simon
Day 113 Nubeena Thursday May 19th 2007
Morning at the retreat
Magpie for Simon
Sunset at the retreat
Sunset reflected on the water
Evening folks,
Busy day for the few hands on deck at the resort today. It was just Susan and I this morning. Nik and Rose took the van to go to Shipsterns Bluff on a bushwalk. Morph and Fan were off and went to Hobart.
Surprise surprise my back was sore again today this time as a result of plugging the hose into a vacuum cleaner. I took my pills and headed off to Hobart stopping at Sorell for food shopping then into Hobart to pickup our three new helpers Lian (Taiwan), Elodie and Mael (France) A quick trip to the land titles office and the asian grocery and it was back to Sorell for fuel and then on to Nubeena in darkness.
Concerns were raised that Nik and Rose had not returned so around 630 I was back in the car taking the track to the walking spot. About 80% of the way there I encountered them driving back so it was a relieved circling of the wagon and back to the Resort. They had stayed to watch the sunset from the lookout and finished the walk by torchlight.
Lovely Lasagne tea prepared by Lynne with a meringue/ice cream/fruit/melted chocolate dessert. Plenty of humor and laughs over tea along with wine of course. The dishes done it was time for a few more laughs with before retiring to bed. The spa was mysteriously cloudy tonight so I gave it a bit of "treatment" and will leave the filter running overnight. A full complement of helpers tomorrow and the weather is looking fine so it should be a good day.
On the home front our tenant and friend Mike has departed Australia to return to the states. We will miss his humor and the care he has shown for our home. Jonathan (my son) will be taking over residence when he returns from his overseas holiday. However the first resident will be Alyce's (my daughter) broken commodore which she has assured me will be gone by August.
night folks
cheers Simon
Day 112 Nubeena Wednesday 18th May 2011
Morphine and Fan Fan
Starting to plant
Ho Ho Ho
Morphine, Rose, Tish and Fan Fan
Hi All,
Last night at 7pm I was firmly under the impression I would be digging out around the valve at the bottom of the rainwater tank this morning so that it could be repaired today. However I received my orders to lead a garlic planting expedition to a property at Highcroft about 8km up the road. The party to plant consisted of Morphine and Fan Fan from Taiwan, Rose from Hawaii and myself. We arrived at Barry and Tish's property at about 9:40 and rolled and removed carpet and some of the larger weeds in the planting area. Barry fired up the rotary hoe and after a couple of passes invited me to drive. A new experience as i had not operated one before. There was an intial hiccup when the forward drive belt slipped off. In the processs of fixing this another problem arose because the unit was tipped on its side. Oil in the cylinder which meant we couldn't turn the engine over. Out came the spark plug and a few pulls ejected the oil. The engine started and after a few minutes the smoke screen cleared. The rest of the ploughing completed without incident and it was onto making the beds and planting the garlic corms. How many did we plant? good question I reckon about 3 - 5 thousand. It was a good day away from the Resort and we all had a few laughs while doing the work.
We are going to be short on labour tomorrow. The boss is away, 3 helpers have the day off. Not really poor scheduling as 2 were supposed to be off today but were diverted to the garlic. Looks like I will be going to Hobart tomorrow to pick up 3 arrivals and doing the shopping at Sorell. We also have 5 rooms to clean tomorrow but with only 1 arrival tomorrow night it won't matter if they don't all get done. We were going to have a day off Friday but will reschedule that to next week as the new people will need to be supervised/trained on Friday. It's all go. Just as well this is the quiet time of the year!
I noticed we have been loaned a motorised walk behind slasher so that might be a bit of fun to drive in the next few days.
Todays pictures are from phone cam as I forgot to take my camera.
Night Folks
Simon
P.S. Almost forgot today's hilarious moment illustrating the perils of language.
Barry asked the group, "Do you want a hot drink?" Morphine replied something I couldn't quite understand so I clarified by saying tea or coffee, which the helpers declined. After some more conversation Morphine said he thought Barry asked "Do you want to go to a gay bar" Whereupon we all fell about laughing. You had to be there!
This was followed at lunch by Fan Fan asking the difference between borrow and use which was duly explained. She was trying to understand someone asking if they could borrow your toilet. More discussion and I volunteered they should say "hey mate where's your dunny?" Morph looked up puzzled and said "donny?" More explanations!
The Taiwanese have a great sense of humour and Morph and Fan Fan are quite hilarious with the quips they come out with. Fan Fan tonight pointed to my stomach and said "3 months?" and before I could answer said "If it is a girl will you call it Fan Fan?"
Day 111 Nubeena Tuesday 17th May 2011
Melody heads off
Hi All,
The weather gods are smiling again which I guess means everyone further north is even warmer than we are.
Just you average day today. I replaced 2 broken windows one at the house across the road and one in the motel verandah return. I was a bit nervous since I had measured each and Ilan had them cut while he was in Hobart. I had visions of them being the wrong size. However they both fitted perfectly which is probably because I measured them about 25 times. I even checked my tape measure against a steel ruler just to be sure. I am not really paranoid.
Susan started at 8am with the promise she would be back at 9 o'clock. I misunderstood this to be 9am not 9 pm. Seriously you will never run out of work here.
The new restaurant operators weren't sighted today. Probably still packing their house up. Tomorrow I am heading along with 3 others up the road somewhere to the garlic farm to do some sort of gardening. Since we are leaving at 9 it will be a nice rush to do the pools and the animals before we go.
My back was sore yesterday however a few nurofen, a spa and a couple of beers seem to have fixed it up.
Anyway once again it's nearly midnight so hay time here!
Cheers Simon
PS I like the ducks they actually eat the kitchen scraps unlike the goats and the hens which leave them for the wasps until we get around to raking them up and chucking them on the compost heap..
Day 110 Nubeena Monday 16th May 2011
Another farewell photo
Hi All,
An average day at the motel. Lots of good work done by the helpers.
This morning we said goodbye to Rafi and Bat whose time here was shorter than they would have liked. Tomorrow we say goodbye to Melody whose time here is shorter than we would have liked. Change is a constant here.
We had a nice community dinner prepared mainly by Susan. Home made soup, roast beef with vegetables and of course Melody's request for sticky date pudding for dessert. We had a few laughs tonight so it was a lot of good fun.
Morphine a Taiwanese helper who is a teacher was asking me to add up some numbers. 4 by 3 digit numbers in a spreadsheet I did it in my head. I was expecting him to use an excel formula but he did some "trick" with his fingers and said you are right explaining it was done with an internal method. My answer was correct, except he did it in a fraction of the time! I volunteered the word abacus and he translated it in babelfish. He was a bit surprised I actually knew what an abacus was. I tried to teach him to say, "Simon you know some sh*t." Apparently kids in Taiwan start off using the abacus and then get taught to use it mentally.
Blogspot is still not running so these poss are building up! Well go figure. If I use Google Chrome browser I can post. If I use Internet Explorer 9 I can't.
cheers Simon
Day 109 Nubeena Sunday 15th May 2011
Hi All,
Changes roll forward at the Resort. Tomorrow Bat and Rafi leave (from France).
Another busy day, harvesting pumpkins, cleaning the fat traps under the push button electric bbq's. They are largish containers and hold a fair bit of fat. Just as well I have helpers to do some of these jobs! A myriad of smaller tasks rounded out the day.
After a spa and a light tea we watched last nights Doctor Who as shown in the UK last night funnily enough.
We had a delivery of ducks today, live ones which we didn't have any forewarning about and which are now residing in the pen. I can't imagine they will poop any less than the chickens who are quickly wearing out their welcome by soiling our front step area.
Anyway that's it for the day. The blogger publishing issue still isn't resolved so I have no idea when you will read this.
Night folks
Simon
Changes roll forward at the Resort. Tomorrow Bat and Rafi leave (from France).
Another busy day, harvesting pumpkins, cleaning the fat traps under the push button electric bbq's. They are largish containers and hold a fair bit of fat. Just as well I have helpers to do some of these jobs! A myriad of smaller tasks rounded out the day.
After a spa and a light tea we watched last nights Doctor Who as shown in the UK last night funnily enough.
We had a delivery of ducks today, live ones which we didn't have any forewarning about and which are now residing in the pen. I can't imagine they will poop any less than the chickens who are quickly wearing out their welcome by soiling our front step area.
Anyway that's it for the day. The blogger publishing issue still isn't resolved so I have no idea when you will read this.
Night folks
Simon
Day 108 Nubeena Saturday 14th May 2011
The chooks on our seat again, and Blondie on the outer as always
Hi Folks,
A cold breezy day. Walking around this morning a pile of hail was evident outside the poolroom door. We had been awakened in the night when the storm came through. Our window faces south west so it takes the full force of the weather from that direction. However I guess it has lasted this long so we don't need to be worried.
The day was spent on more preparation for the restaurant opening. Mainly emptying the laundry store room to become the new staff pantry. It actually looks half reasonable although a bit dark. Especially with the carpet tiles laid. The big move of the day was the freezer from the laundry. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Mind you it took 4 blokes to do it. I should measure it I think it would be around 2.5 metres long and a metre wide.
We had a bbq tea and movie night last night, The BBQ was held outside and although it was a bit chilly was ok. My contribution was slicing the steaks from the rump and cooking them. We adjourned to the shed where the combustion heater had made a difference to the chill. Susan knocked up some mulled wine and we had popcorn and chocolate. The movie finished about 11 and for what ever reason Susan and I ended up watching another. This meant a late night and a slightly painfull one for me after i fell over the barbell bar turning the lights off. I have a bloody sore little pinky this morning.
Blogspot has been having some technical issues so I have not been able to post blogs. If you are reading this things are ok!
Cheers Simon
Day 107 Nubeena Friday 13th May 2011
bon-bon-tang (Chinese for candy), favourite treat for the "kids" courtesy of Susan
Hi Folks,
Our day off today and we certainly picked a good one. What a barry*! Rain, wind and cold with occasional bursts of sunshine just to tease us. After a morning pottering around we went to Lucky Ducks for a splendid luncheon accompanied by a bottle of Rose.
After lunch we drove to Apex Point to enjoy the views plus study the houses. I was not aware there were so many in that area so I am now wondering what the actual population of Nubeena is. Especially when you also see the number of permanents in the caravan park. We called in at the orchard on the way back for 4 bags of pears and apples. At $2 for 2kg they are certainly good value and fresh.
Returning to the Resort we busied ourselves with little projects and the washing of course. Winter has certainly set in. Hopefully the wet will let up soon as there are only so many inside jobs you can do.
Oh almost forgot the other news. The lost van key was found on the ground by Bat when he dragged the bins in this morning. It now has a big tag on it so as to be more visible! Woohoo!
Night all!
Simon
*Rhyming slang – Barry Crocker (shocker)
Day 106 Nubeena Thursday 12th May 2011
Hi Blogosphere readers,
Another fairly average day here. Started off dry and fine but the clouds and rain quickly rolled in for the middle of the day.
The main task of the day was shuffling the “deckchairs” to get ready for the restaurant reopening. We now have all the furniture in the house across the road in one room along with a quantity of beds and bunks ready for the new tenants the restauarant operators to move in. We have to move this stuff out of their house to the shed adjacent the house when it (the shed) is organised. We started moving the excess kitchen material from the laundry to the barn so that the linen in the southern store room can be moved there and a staff pantry created in the storeroom. If you can follow all of this can you please explain it to me!
The days hiccup arose on the last trip in the van we hopped in to drive to the barn and “where’s the key?” A search on and off for 2 hours failed to find it. Normally I don’t take it out of the ignition when the van is on site or at worst it is up in the sunvisor. Of course it is a single key with no obvious tag so I am assuming it was in my pocket and fell out when I pulled out the massive key bundle that I had in there. Fortunately there was a spare key but unfortunately the local hardware shop didn’t have the correct blank so it looks like a 160km round trip to get a new spare cut as I will be paranoid about only having one key.
On a brighter note Melody assisted by the two S’s (Susan and Suzanne) prepared another great communal tea so we all ate and drank well.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Another fairly average day here. Started off dry and fine but the clouds and rain quickly rolled in for the middle of the day.
The main task of the day was shuffling the “deckchairs” to get ready for the restaurant reopening. We now have all the furniture in the house across the road in one room along with a quantity of beds and bunks ready for the new tenants the restauarant operators to move in. We have to move this stuff out of their house to the shed adjacent the house when it (the shed) is organised. We started moving the excess kitchen material from the laundry to the barn so that the linen in the southern store room can be moved there and a staff pantry created in the storeroom. If you can follow all of this can you please explain it to me!
The days hiccup arose on the last trip in the van we hopped in to drive to the barn and “where’s the key?” A search on and off for 2 hours failed to find it. Normally I don’t take it out of the ignition when the van is on site or at worst it is up in the sunvisor. Of course it is a single key with no obvious tag so I am assuming it was in my pocket and fell out when I pulled out the massive key bundle that I had in there. Fortunately there was a spare key but unfortunately the local hardware shop didn’t have the correct blank so it looks like a 160km round trip to get a new spare cut as I will be paranoid about only having one key.
On a brighter note Melody assisted by the two S’s (Susan and Suzanne) prepared another great communal tea so we all ate and drank well.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 105 Nubeena Wednesday 11th of May 2011
Hi Folks,
The storm followed the yesterdays sun. Fortunately I have goretex so I can swan around in the heaviest rain and stay dry. I used the wet weather for an extended session in the wet room. The rest of the day was a mixture of troubleshooting the TV antenna/cable system, repairing the Vax wet vac, shovelling dirt and showing our new arrivals Fanfan and Morphine how to make home made pizzas. They look like they will be a lot of fun like our previous Taiwanese visitors.
Hmm it is 10:36 and the TV signal has dropped out again looks like a bit more work to do in the morning.
night folks.
Simon
The storm followed the yesterdays sun. Fortunately I have goretex so I can swan around in the heaviest rain and stay dry. I used the wet weather for an extended session in the wet room. The rest of the day was a mixture of troubleshooting the TV antenna/cable system, repairing the Vax wet vac, shovelling dirt and showing our new arrivals Fanfan and Morphine how to make home made pizzas. They look like they will be a lot of fun like our previous Taiwanese visitors.
Hmm it is 10:36 and the TV signal has dropped out again looks like a bit more work to do in the morning.
night folks.
Simon
Day 104 Nubeena Tuesday 10th May 2011
A particularly fine example of the red crested flotsam gatherer
Fortescue Bay pictures (click to enlarge)
Hi Folks,
A glorious sunny morning this morning and the boss said go and enjoy it so we did. We took a spin down to Fortescue Bay which is about 30km away. The scenery was glorious, see the pictures and videos.
We returned to the resort by 1230 to continue our days work. The highlight of my afternoon was scraping and swabbing the possum poop off of the rear decks. I think I have discovered the ultimate source of green dye!
Anyway that's it for today short on text long on pictures!
Cheers Simon
Clearwater at Fortescue Bay
Day 103 Nubeena Monday 9th May 2011
The chooks on the seat outside the unit, Blondie is always left out!
Hi All,
A day with its share of sunshine and storms and the weather was like that too. Work wise a day of chores nothing overly exciting. I did float the sailboat hull on the dam and stepped onto it. It is not very stable so methinks we will not be standing on it netting duckweed.
The chooks seem to want to spend time everyday sitting on the bench seat out the front of our unit. Today I was scraping and mopping up their poop!
We had another excellent shared tea tonight prepared by Melody who unfortunately leaves us next week.
Anyway that's about it for tonight, as alluded to earlier we had some dissension in the ranks today. Not quite sure how it is going to play out. It was all a bit like being back in the real world of work ..groans.
Tomorrow looks like being the best day weather wise so we will be chopping blackberries and spraying weeds all day.
I better get to bed to build up my strength.
Night Folks
Simon
Day 102 Nubeena Sunday the 8th of May 2011
Hi All,
A nice cold wet windy day! A good day for completing the energy survey which of course raised more questions than it answered! At least the pool room was nice and warm. It is a good place to be on a cold rainy day. We did have some reasonable periods of sunshine during the day so the goats were set to work on their brush mowing duties. I also patched the hole in a sailing dinghy donated to the resort so some hardy soul can go out on the dam and scoop out the duckweed! If you fall in the eels will get you for sure! We moved a queen bed from the house up to a unit so we can fit all the helpers in one 3 bedroom unit which will be cosy for them. Anyway that's it for the day i have the combustion heater lit in the barn and 2 episodes of Doctor Who to watch.
night folks
Simon
A nice cold wet windy day! A good day for completing the energy survey which of course raised more questions than it answered! At least the pool room was nice and warm. It is a good place to be on a cold rainy day. We did have some reasonable periods of sunshine during the day so the goats were set to work on their brush mowing duties. I also patched the hole in a sailing dinghy donated to the resort so some hardy soul can go out on the dam and scoop out the duckweed! If you fall in the eels will get you for sure! We moved a queen bed from the house up to a unit so we can fit all the helpers in one 3 bedroom unit which will be cosy for them. Anyway that's it for the day i have the combustion heater lit in the barn and 2 episodes of Doctor Who to watch.
night folks
Simon
Day 101 Nubeena Saturday 7th May 2011
Hi Folks,
We arose early at around 7:30 in Wrest Point with the sun shining across the bay. We packed our meagre belongings quickly to beat the rush from the hotel and at the bakery for breakfast.
We breakfasted in Jackman and McRoss at Battery Point before adjourning to the Salamanca markets for a quick up and down. I bought some delicious fudge 3 pieces which we have nibbled away at all weekend and Susan some sprouted wheat bread for Ilan.
It was then a quick step back to the car and off to the airport where we picked up Suzanne and headed to Sorell for the food shopping. We fuelled and headed back towards the resort detouring to Marion Bay to investigate the large house on the island that we see from the highway. It is connected by a causeway and a large padlocked gate out the front says private property. Not much wiser we headed back to Nubeena and did all the usual stuff since it was a working day.
The weather forecast for tomorrow does not sound brilliant...
Cheers Simon
We arose early at around 7:30 in Wrest Point with the sun shining across the bay. We packed our meagre belongings quickly to beat the rush from the hotel and at the bakery for breakfast.
We breakfasted in Jackman and McRoss at Battery Point before adjourning to the Salamanca markets for a quick up and down. I bought some delicious fudge 3 pieces which we have nibbled away at all weekend and Susan some sprouted wheat bread for Ilan.
It was then a quick step back to the car and off to the airport where we picked up Suzanne and headed to Sorell for the food shopping. We fuelled and headed back towards the resort detouring to Marion Bay to investigate the large house on the island that we see from the highway. It is connected by a causeway and a large padlocked gate out the front says private property. Not much wiser we headed back to Nubeena and did all the usual stuff since it was a working day.
The weather forecast for tomorrow does not sound brilliant...
Cheers Simon
Day 100 Hobart Wrest Point Friday 6th May 2011
Today's group at the resort. I am in an odd position as I had to rush to beat the camera timer!
Weiting!
Mount Wellington
Mount Wellington
Snow remnants
Casino room
Hi All,
Per the title we are in the Wrest Point Casino accommodation kindly paid for by the Resort at Parsons Bay.
The day started with goodbyes at the Resort to Weiting. Well not from us since we were taking her to Hobart. We headed off and had a few stops along the way to take advantage of the sunny weather for some tourist shots.
We did some resort chores popping up to PFD for foodstuffs and then headed to Mount Wellington arriving their without incident after ignoring the GPS totally. It seems to have a mental block where this location is concerned. We could see clouds around the peak but they appeared to be clearing. The peak was partially clouded and cold as evidenced by the remains of snowfall. Of course I was suitably attired in shorts like a silly tourist. We had a bit of fun larking around taking pictures and video before heading back to Hobart and dropping Weiting off at her couchsurfing venue. We said our sad goodbyes and Weiting gave us handmade friendship bands. We will miss her.
We journeyed to Wrest Point and settled into our room which was smaller than our one at the resort. However it was well appointed although the bed was a bit weird being two singles joined together to make a king. We adjourned to the bistro for a meal. My steak was excellent however Susan's spare ribs were a bit chewy. It was a pub grade meal price and quality wise. We wandered around and into the gaming area. This was not particularly bubbling with crowds and excitement. I was surprised that there was no craps table. Apparently they disappeared years ago in favour of poker. Of course it would have nothing to do with the fact that craps has the smallest margin in the favor of the house. The odds of winning for the player are 0.4975 as I recall. Just a bit of trivia for you. We spent the evening in our room chilling out it had free broadband so that's a bonus.
Tomorrow we are off to the airport to pick up our new helper.
Cheers Simon
Day 99 Nubeena Thursday 5th May 2011
Hi Folks,
Today started off in wet weather gear and ended up in sunshine. Pretty standard day. Susan trying to get her head around making the crockery match in the rooms and doing a million other things.
I did my usual stuff plus tidied up the barn, set up some backups for the business data, organised to buy an energy monitor so we have some idea what appliances use what in the cafe and last but not least put the bins out. Susan cooked a slap up tea for the community dinner, by my count she did 13 hours today oh well it keeps her happy. I managed to have 2 spas one before and one after tea. The attached video shows some of the grounds work that has occurred at the resort since we arrived. It's not clear in the video but I had nothing to do with the pine bridge. Also the clear up is the result of a lot of work from many different people.
Also there is a chicken video I think they came to see me because they hadn't been fed. Had to laugh I went to bring the goats in tonight and when the chickens saw me they sprinted over from about 40 metres and then followed the goats into the pen. I wonder if it has anything to do with me feeding them when I get there.
Day 100 on this trip already and what better way to celebrate than a day off well apart from some shopping on the way, taking Weiting to Hobart and picking up Suzanne a new helper from the airport Saturday morning. We do get a free night at the Wrest Point motel tomorrow night!
Night Folks
Simon
Chickens calling
Outside at the resort (Big file 28Mb)
Today started off in wet weather gear and ended up in sunshine. Pretty standard day. Susan trying to get her head around making the crockery match in the rooms and doing a million other things.
I did my usual stuff plus tidied up the barn, set up some backups for the business data, organised to buy an energy monitor so we have some idea what appliances use what in the cafe and last but not least put the bins out. Susan cooked a slap up tea for the community dinner, by my count she did 13 hours today oh well it keeps her happy. I managed to have 2 spas one before and one after tea. The attached video shows some of the grounds work that has occurred at the resort since we arrived. It's not clear in the video but I had nothing to do with the pine bridge. Also the clear up is the result of a lot of work from many different people.
Also there is a chicken video I think they came to see me because they hadn't been fed. Had to laugh I went to bring the goats in tonight and when the chickens saw me they sprinted over from about 40 metres and then followed the goats into the pen. I wonder if it has anything to do with me feeding them when I get there.
Day 100 on this trip already and what better way to celebrate than a day off well apart from some shopping on the way, taking Weiting to Hobart and picking up Suzanne a new helper from the airport Saturday morning. We do get a free night at the Wrest Point motel tomorrow night!
Night Folks
Simon
Chickens calling
Outside at the resort (Big file 28Mb)
Day 98 Nubeena Wednesday 4th May 2011
Hi All,
A day that started with great promise. The sun was streaming through the gap in the blind onto my face. There was no hint of wind. A glorious morning with magpies singing in the trees which is quite uncommon here. This lasted until just after I put the goats out at 9. It started to rain quite hard so I brought the goats in to shelter since they were huddled around the end of the building. The rain eased off and a roaring Antarctic gale sprang up.
Forced inside I started the energy usage survey for the cafe area since it is not going to be possible to segregate it electrically for billing when the new operators take over.
I went and had a spa just before tea to drive the cold from my bones! I have spent tonight cobbling together some video of the resort to give you an idea of what it is like. I am waiting for permission from Susan to video the inside of our unit just in case anyone was interested in seeing it!
As I sit here I can hear the wind and rain pounding on the roof and windows so it looks like it might be an inside work day again tomorrow.
night folks
Simon
Quick tour of the Resort"
A day that started with great promise. The sun was streaming through the gap in the blind onto my face. There was no hint of wind. A glorious morning with magpies singing in the trees which is quite uncommon here. This lasted until just after I put the goats out at 9. It started to rain quite hard so I brought the goats in to shelter since they were huddled around the end of the building. The rain eased off and a roaring Antarctic gale sprang up.
Forced inside I started the energy usage survey for the cafe area since it is not going to be possible to segregate it electrically for billing when the new operators take over.
I went and had a spa just before tea to drive the cold from my bones! I have spent tonight cobbling together some video of the resort to give you an idea of what it is like. I am waiting for permission from Susan to video the inside of our unit just in case anyone was interested in seeing it!
As I sit here I can hear the wind and rain pounding on the roof and windows so it looks like it might be an inside work day again tomorrow.
night folks
Simon
Quick tour of the Resort"
Day 97 Nubeena Tuesday 3rd May 2011
Hi Folks,
A glorious autumn day here. Batiste and I adjourned to the creek first up. I gently chainsawed some branches from trees clogging the creek continuing the clean up project. We shovelled the ash from the previous fire into the barrow and carted it up close to the garden beds to use as a potassium supplement. The big problem down the creek is still the blackberries. It is difficult to brushcut them when they are on the creek bank for fear of falling in. Then when they resprout they require spraying which I think will be tricky adjacent the water. I need to research this further. I did do some spraying this afternoon of the ever sprouting weeds around the accommodation.
Peeking into the old pool test kits I found we had the necessary ingredients to do the total alkalinity test. I did them and was surprised to find the pool was almost in range I guess due to evaporation whereas the spa was low probably as it is constantly being backwashed and topped up. The aquaerobics ladies complained the pool was cold today. Actually it was about 24 this morning so it is cooling slowly from its normal 28 with out gas to fire the heater. Hopefully the gas will arrive tomorrow.
Another piece of good news is that my walkie talkie battery packs and charger have been repaired by Uniden and are on my way back to me. Many thanks to the folks at Electric Bug in Adelaide.
I did shoot the video today but it is still in the editing suite. Hopefully it will be ready tomorrow night.
Susan was out chanting tonight so I took the opportunity to re watch Conspiracy Theory as it came up in conversation here yesterday.
Anyway it's bed time
night folks
Simon
A glorious autumn day here. Batiste and I adjourned to the creek first up. I gently chainsawed some branches from trees clogging the creek continuing the clean up project. We shovelled the ash from the previous fire into the barrow and carted it up close to the garden beds to use as a potassium supplement. The big problem down the creek is still the blackberries. It is difficult to brushcut them when they are on the creek bank for fear of falling in. Then when they resprout they require spraying which I think will be tricky adjacent the water. I need to research this further. I did do some spraying this afternoon of the ever sprouting weeds around the accommodation.
Peeking into the old pool test kits I found we had the necessary ingredients to do the total alkalinity test. I did them and was surprised to find the pool was almost in range I guess due to evaporation whereas the spa was low probably as it is constantly being backwashed and topped up. The aquaerobics ladies complained the pool was cold today. Actually it was about 24 this morning so it is cooling slowly from its normal 28 with out gas to fire the heater. Hopefully the gas will arrive tomorrow.
Another piece of good news is that my walkie talkie battery packs and charger have been repaired by Uniden and are on my way back to me. Many thanks to the folks at Electric Bug in Adelaide.
I did shoot the video today but it is still in the editing suite. Hopefully it will be ready tomorrow night.
Susan was out chanting tonight so I took the opportunity to re watch Conspiracy Theory as it came up in conversation here yesterday.
Anyway it's bed time
night folks
Simon
Day 96 Nubeena Monday 2nd May 2011
Hi All,
Another quiet but busy day with not a huge amount achieved but still heading in the right direction. Salient points were, our new coffee machine will be replaced with a new machine when Hardlys at Cambridge receive stock. It is actually making a pretty good brew at the moment. Swimmers in the pool before Wednesday will get a shock since we are out of gas until then and the temperature is dropping! Only 2 rooms occupied last night and they are both more than one night so no rooms to clean today. Hence Weiting and Melody had their second day off in a row and went on a freebie to Port Arthur.
Susan has rearranged our unit and it is almost to the stage where we can video it to show. This has reminded I should shoot a video of the resort to give you an idea of what it is like. I will mark that on my brain for tomorrow. Other than that it was a day of small repairs and the usual everyday tasks. A standard home made pizza tea washed down with Carlton Draught.
I introduced Batiste to a new phrase "How they hanging mate?" and its colloquial reply which will not be printed here since it is a family show. Outside the kitchen I could here Susan's voice saying "You are a bloody shocker". I wonder who she was talking to!
The bureau has promised sun for tomorrow!
Cheers Simon
Another quiet but busy day with not a huge amount achieved but still heading in the right direction. Salient points were, our new coffee machine will be replaced with a new machine when Hardlys at Cambridge receive stock. It is actually making a pretty good brew at the moment. Swimmers in the pool before Wednesday will get a shock since we are out of gas until then and the temperature is dropping! Only 2 rooms occupied last night and they are both more than one night so no rooms to clean today. Hence Weiting and Melody had their second day off in a row and went on a freebie to Port Arthur.
Susan has rearranged our unit and it is almost to the stage where we can video it to show. This has reminded I should shoot a video of the resort to give you an idea of what it is like. I will mark that on my brain for tomorrow. Other than that it was a day of small repairs and the usual everyday tasks. A standard home made pizza tea washed down with Carlton Draught.
I introduced Batiste to a new phrase "How they hanging mate?" and its colloquial reply which will not be printed here since it is a family show. Outside the kitchen I could here Susan's voice saying "You are a bloody shocker". I wonder who she was talking to!
The bureau has promised sun for tomorrow!
Cheers Simon
Day 95 Nubeena Sunday 1st May 2011
Hi from the blogosphere,
Peaceful day today. 4 of, well actually all of our helpers went on the Tasman Island cruise today. The day started under grey wet skies and they were given the option of another day. They took today and were rewarded with Orca's. Yes the killer whales a rare sighting on the tours.
Meanwhile back at the ranch i took the time to catch up on the wet areas after the carnage of Easter and the school holidays. I followed this up with other minor chores. I also went through 9 DVD players to work out which ones were actually working which was 8 and got our one working in the unit. The big task today was trying out the new coffee grinder and the expresso machine. A promising start with the grinder but some refinement needed with the expresso machine to make the coffee to our taste strength wise. I was pretty close with my last effort however my eyes were starting to spin round with all the sampling so i will leave it for tomorrow. I also noticed the pressure gauge wasn't working. This is a measures the back pressure when you are steaming the grind so is good for judging consistency of packing and grind size. Looks like I will be ringing HN to see whether we take it back for exchange or have to go to the warranty mob in Hobart. A nice 170km round trip, sighs.
I had a couple of spa's today which were nice and relaxing. Tonight Susan and Weiting were watching "House" on the big screen in the barn. I think Weiting really needs Chinese sub titles though! I shall have to crowbar my way in to watch last nights (in the UK) Doctor Who tomorrow night.
Cheers Folks
Simon
Peaceful day today. 4 of, well actually all of our helpers went on the Tasman Island cruise today. The day started under grey wet skies and they were given the option of another day. They took today and were rewarded with Orca's. Yes the killer whales a rare sighting on the tours.
Meanwhile back at the ranch i took the time to catch up on the wet areas after the carnage of Easter and the school holidays. I followed this up with other minor chores. I also went through 9 DVD players to work out which ones were actually working which was 8 and got our one working in the unit. The big task today was trying out the new coffee grinder and the expresso machine. A promising start with the grinder but some refinement needed with the expresso machine to make the coffee to our taste strength wise. I was pretty close with my last effort however my eyes were starting to spin round with all the sampling so i will leave it for tomorrow. I also noticed the pressure gauge wasn't working. This is a measures the back pressure when you are steaming the grind so is good for judging consistency of packing and grind size. Looks like I will be ringing HN to see whether we take it back for exchange or have to go to the warranty mob in Hobart. A nice 170km round trip, sighs.
I had a couple of spa's today which were nice and relaxing. Tonight Susan and Weiting were watching "House" on the big screen in the barn. I think Weiting really needs Chinese sub titles though! I shall have to crowbar my way in to watch last nights (in the UK) Doctor Who tomorrow night.
Cheers Folks
Simon
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