Hi All,
A blustery wet day here. We had 10 rooms to clean today including those filled with the dreaded bunks!!
Nick and I were set the task of the bunks in units 9 and 10. I can see why Susan complains about them. Making the top bunks with the rails in place is a real pain as is dragging them in and out from the wall. After our bunk making practice we were assigned vacuuming and mopping duties for the rest of the day. I squeezed in the usual water testing and chicken poop removal. We had a considerable number of children here for swimming lessons this afternoon. Given their tender years many of them were no doubt peeing in the pool so the water test results will be interesting tomorrow.
The cafe was pretty quiet so Phill enticed us for tea which was an offer easy to accept since we know the food will be good and we will get a generous discount. The food was good as was the discount. Quieter on the room front tomorrow with 3 plus 2 from today so I may be able to get some productive maintenance in. To whit a new pump on the rainwater supply to the pool and a pulley tensioner spring on the Toro mower.
Well that's about as riveting as it gets here on a busy day. At least the day goes quickly. Looking back over the blog tonight events that seemed recent were actually months ago. I am not quite sure what that means if anything at all. Another of life's mysteries. We have actually done a lot since we have been here both work wise and travel wise.
Today's and yesterdays cultural exchange was explaining daylight saving to Selina. I think she finally has it. I don't think I explained the start date very well as i had to clarify that today. That and explaining that they don't have it in WA,NT and Qld! and the 5 different time zones!
cheers Simon
Day 244 Nubeena Thursday September 29th 2011
Hi Folks,
A weary day after last nights late night shenanigans. I have actually worked on 3 days blogs today.
The weather has been wet blustery and cool. Good weather for a day off catching up, although i did get roped into casting my eye over the bin detail tonight as well as moving a couple of beds. I also might have had the pool test kit in my hand when I was having a spa. We have 30 kids here for swimming lessons tomorrow so best we don't kill any of them.
Other items of note today were a visit from the local policeman so we could "assist with his enquiries" and Nick cooking his first community dinner. He made a pretty good fist of it. Ilan invented a dessert using various ingredients which was also good.
We have 9 or 10 rooms tomorrow so it will be all hands on deck for the 4 of us. Many of them are 2 bedroom so that is more work!
That's it short and sweet. A blog finished on the same day it occurred, a miracle!
night Simon
A weary day after last nights late night shenanigans. I have actually worked on 3 days blogs today.
The weather has been wet blustery and cool. Good weather for a day off catching up, although i did get roped into casting my eye over the bin detail tonight as well as moving a couple of beds. I also might have had the pool test kit in my hand when I was having a spa. We have 30 kids here for swimming lessons tomorrow so best we don't kill any of them.
Other items of note today were a visit from the local policeman so we could "assist with his enquiries" and Nick cooking his first community dinner. He made a pretty good fist of it. Ilan invented a dessert using various ingredients which was also good.
We have 9 or 10 rooms tomorrow so it will be all hands on deck for the 4 of us. Many of them are 2 bedroom so that is more work!
That's it short and sweet. A blog finished on the same day it occurred, a miracle!
night Simon
Day 243 Nubeena Wednesday 29th September 2011
Hi Folks,
Your pretty standard working day here. I spent some time trying to make Unit 9 a bit more tidy. It doesn't look too bad I guess. Nothing that a total renovation couldn't fix.
The odd spot of the afternoon was when I took our recycling into the resort laundry and one of the guests was in there doing her washing. To say I was surprised was an understatement. She saw the line outside and thought it was the guest laundry which is a bit hard to believe. Anyway I gently explained where the guest laundry was and she toddled off there with her gear. Susan has now made up a sign for the door.
We had some BBQ steaks for tea. Thickish ones I carved off the rump we had the other day. Tasty enough but requiring some chewing.
The major event of the evening was a vandalism attack on the Resort with tables outside being overturned and lights at the driveway entry being smashed. That's the condensed version of the story. It meant a late night for us and a delay in blog publishing! It has started raining and tomorrow for my day off it looks like it will be continuing. Not that it matters too much as I am behind on many things so a catch up day inside.
Cheers Simon
Your pretty standard working day here. I spent some time trying to make Unit 9 a bit more tidy. It doesn't look too bad I guess. Nothing that a total renovation couldn't fix.
The odd spot of the afternoon was when I took our recycling into the resort laundry and one of the guests was in there doing her washing. To say I was surprised was an understatement. She saw the line outside and thought it was the guest laundry which is a bit hard to believe. Anyway I gently explained where the guest laundry was and she toddled off there with her gear. Susan has now made up a sign for the door.
We had some BBQ steaks for tea. Thickish ones I carved off the rump we had the other day. Tasty enough but requiring some chewing.
The major event of the evening was a vandalism attack on the Resort with tables outside being overturned and lights at the driveway entry being smashed. That's the condensed version of the story. It meant a late night for us and a delay in blog publishing! It has started raining and tomorrow for my day off it looks like it will be continuing. Not that it matters too much as I am behind on many things so a catch up day inside.
Cheers Simon
Day 242 Nubeena Tuesday 28th September 2011
Spend a lot of time in this position in Hastings Cave
Halactities
Click picture to read the signs.
Hello Readers,
Our day off and we were aiming to leave by 8am! This plan fell off the rails since we didn't wake up until 830. We left just after 10 and headed along our wheel ruts on the road to Hobart. Not pausing we trod the same route down the Huon Valley as last week. We called in to the Geeveston Bakery and had our pies, coffee and cakes for lunch. We did try the other shop across the road but they did not accept EFTPOS either. "We don't have a phone line".
On the road this morning, Susan "I have really improved being a passenger" (This refers to her constant instructions to the driver) Simon "Well you couldn't have gotten worse!" Both "Laughter".
We arrived at Hastings Caves reserve at around 215. The reserve consists of 2 attractions, the caves and the thermal springs. These are around 28C. We duly trotted down bathers and towels in hand. Susan decided that it wasn't warm enough to swin so we walked the "hot springs trail for 30 mins before heading up to the cave for our tour. We were the only people on the tout along with Laura out guide and a younger woman on work experience whose name has slipped both our minds. On entering the cave i again realised why i had taken so many pictures on my last visit in 1978. They are truly spectacular and the photos do not do them justice. As is my want i had to correct the guide when she said calcite was 1 on the hardness scale for rocks. I was able to recall the mnemonic after several minutes of thinking and correctly saying that 1 was talc and calcite is 3. Funny I can remember something I learnt in 1978 but not what happened today to write in the blog! I guess the tour guides just love people like me! Must be an occupational hazard being a guide though.
Moving on from the caves we headed south. From my observations leaving Dover the Mountain with the conical peak featured in earlier blogs covered in snow is not Mount Picton but Adamsons peak. I shall have to go back and make corrections. We came to the end of the southernmost road in Australia. You cannot actually drive to the southernmost point of Australia and looking a the maps I am not sure you can even walk there. South Cape is like a giant Fortescue Bay. The early visitations were by the French which is reflected in the naming of the bays and channels.
After a walk around and an appreciation of the area (It's wet with an average of 212 rain days per year) we headed northwards again. We still have a little bit to see down here. There is a tourist railway at Ida Bay which i would like to see. We stopped at Franklin for tea at the Huon's Little Treasure Bistro with a mixed asian and western cuisine. Very nice it was too. From then on it was the drive back to Nubeena some 2 hours with a pause for fuel. Thankfully I managed not to flatten any of the local wildlife although there were a couple of near misses. We arrived home at 1030. A good day out pity we didn't wake a bit earlier this morning.
night folks.
Cheers Simon
Two corrections! It is "end of the road" not end of the world and recherche = research!
Day 241 Nubeena Monday 26th September 2011
Hi Folks,
Lovely warm sunny day here today. After animal roulette I took the Rover ride on down the creek for a good session. There is something esoteric about a man, a machine and the smell of cut grass, even if the machine is a bucket of bolts.
I returned to reality at midday when I looked into the spa. When I had finished with it yesterday it was crystal clear and at precisely the correct water level. Today it was over filled and and murky. It appears that some locals who used it last night took it upon them selves to fill it from the hose and the mank from their bodies and lord knows what else. During the rectification process the pump that pumps the rainwater up from the storage tank reserved from the pools decided to expire tripping out it's ELCB which was finally located in Unit 14. During the course of this I discovered that the pump is fed by an extension cord with a plug connection to the pump buried in about 10 cm of damp dirt so its a miracle it was running at all. A job for Wednesday.
We had a record one day egg production today of 7, which is a pretty fair result considering we have 9 females, with one brooding and one raising chicks. By my calculations it means only one didn't lay.
Just before dusk I took the opportunity to stroll back down to the creek in the late afternoon sun. It was very relaxing walking along next to the gently burbling water.
Our day off tomorrow and we shall emulate the last one. Up early and drive through Hobart to Hastings Caves and beyond. Must remember the bathers for the thermal pools.
Night folks
cheers Simon
Lovely warm sunny day here today. After animal roulette I took the Rover ride on down the creek for a good session. There is something esoteric about a man, a machine and the smell of cut grass, even if the machine is a bucket of bolts.
I returned to reality at midday when I looked into the spa. When I had finished with it yesterday it was crystal clear and at precisely the correct water level. Today it was over filled and and murky. It appears that some locals who used it last night took it upon them selves to fill it from the hose and the mank from their bodies and lord knows what else. During the rectification process the pump that pumps the rainwater up from the storage tank reserved from the pools decided to expire tripping out it's ELCB which was finally located in Unit 14. During the course of this I discovered that the pump is fed by an extension cord with a plug connection to the pump buried in about 10 cm of damp dirt so its a miracle it was running at all. A job for Wednesday.
We had a record one day egg production today of 7, which is a pretty fair result considering we have 9 females, with one brooding and one raising chicks. By my calculations it means only one didn't lay.
Just before dusk I took the opportunity to stroll back down to the creek in the late afternoon sun. It was very relaxing walking along next to the gently burbling water.
Our day off tomorrow and we shall emulate the last one. Up early and drive through Hobart to Hastings Caves and beyond. Must remember the bathers for the thermal pools.
Night folks
cheers Simon
Day 240 Nubeena Sunday 25th September 2011
Hi folks,
A usual working day here. Another warm sunny day with the usual chores.
One item of note is I think someone has peed in the sauna judging by the smell that assailed my nostrils today. I instigated a chlorine cure!
After work as Susan's suggestion I took Nick and Selina for a spin to Roaring Beach. It was quite pleasant with the sun peeking out between the clouds. The beach is quite rocky as it awaits the gentler summer swell to bring the sand back.
Susan cooked roast beef for community dinner which was shared with Alan and Ray 2 prospective unit purchasers.
Anyway that's it. Early night.
cheers Simon.
Baby chickens grow up! (7mb)
A usual working day here. Another warm sunny day with the usual chores.
One item of note is I think someone has peed in the sauna judging by the smell that assailed my nostrils today. I instigated a chlorine cure!
After work as Susan's suggestion I took Nick and Selina for a spin to Roaring Beach. It was quite pleasant with the sun peeking out between the clouds. The beach is quite rocky as it awaits the gentler summer swell to bring the sand back.
Susan cooked roast beef for community dinner which was shared with Alan and Ray 2 prospective unit purchasers.
Anyway that's it. Early night.
cheers Simon.
Baby chickens grow up! (7mb)
Day 239 Nubeena Saturday 24th September 2011
Selina's dinner
Doctor Oswald Theodore Kyle MBE (c1911-1980)
Hi Folks,
Back to work today. A quiet day. I replaced the blades on the Deutscher and repaired the throttle cable that snapped at one end when I was starting it. Most of the time I wear gloves but seeing I was working adjacent the razor sharp edge of the front guard I decided not to and promptly cut my thumb, twit. The rest of the day was spent doing little chores including taking Nick to Port Arthur on his day off. I started to install the wondrous water ioniser machine in the kitchen but was stymied due to the lack of instructions. Normally this wouldn't stop me but it's Ilan's and it's worth a couple of grand.
Selena cooked community dinner tonight. Her first effort and it was pretty good. Susan did a sticky date pudding as usual. However this time instead of a big slab of pudding she made individual ones in silicone muffin moulds. Very tidy and an excellent idea.
Today's pictures are from Susan's camera mostly from yesterday. I have asked her to prepare a photo extra on the blog of her snaps since they are generally better composed than mine.
cheers Simon
Day 238 Nubeena Friday 23rd September 2011
View of the airwalk from the river junction
View from the end of the airwalk to the river junction
Approaching the end of the airwalk.
Hi Folks,
Our day off and we planned last night to hit the road at 0800 and head through Hobart down the Huon Valley to see some of the sights. We managed to be on the road by 830 and after a brief stop in Sorell arrived in Hobart around 1015. Susan had to whip in to a bed place to check on some items for the resort under threat that if she was longer than 15 minutes she would be left behind. She returned in 17 minutes and we hit the road wending our way through the southern outlet and down the Huon Valley through Huonville and on to Geeveston where we had some nice pies and coffee at the Bakery. This area is quite damp and the native vegetation reflects this being rainforest. We decided that we would visit the forest centre in Geeveston and the Tahune airwalk which is about 25km west of Geeveston. Both these are operated by Forestry Tasmania and present their view of forest management and harvesting. At the Geeveston centre i purchased a copy of "A Guide to the Flowers and Plants of Tasmania" which should help reduce my ignorance level and be able to impress the gullible with my knowledge.
The airwalk is on the Huon River which is a fairly impressive stream. The entry fee was $25 per person. The airwalk is a fairly impressive structure that does move a little in the breeze. Accordingly Susan was terrified and couldn't manage the last little bit out on the cantilever. It does provide a nice tree top view. We the descended back to the foreat floor and did a loop walk south to 2 swing bridges that cross the the Huon and Picton Rivers just above there junction. Susan managed these bridges but with some trepidation. We returned to the visitor centre and the car. On the way out we stopped at Australias largest tree by weight not height. About 400 tonnes which is about a third of the giant redwoods in California. We also stopped a Keoghs Creek walk which posed a series of questions on boards designed to make you think about forestry as an industry.
We returned through Geeveston and headed north to "The Channel" to visit an eco house belonging to Marilyn and her partner at Coningham. We met Marilyn this week when she visited the resort to check out the blocks and units for sale. The house is a passive solar house. It is constructed externally of straw bales rendered with a cement mix. The inside walls are of compressed dried clay bricks. The most noticeable change inside was the temperature, much warmer than out side and all through the retention of solar heat. Some excellent data on the heat retention performance inside to outside was available. We had a long interesting conversation covering many facets of sustainable housing.
Darkness was falling as we returned to Hobart. I hada brilliant idea to eat at the waterfront area which was less than brilliant seeing as there was little parking and hordes of people. We stopped at the pub at Midway Point for a meal that was ok but not startling. There is no excuse for a medium rare steak being served well and truly medium. The only other item of note on the return journey was a suicidal Pademelon near Premaydena. It just appeared from the side of the road and went under the driver side wheels. My first road kill for a long time and our second on this outing.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Air walk
Swing bridge
Big tree
Day 237 Nubeena Thursday 22nd September 2011
Hi folks,
Mild sunny breezy day here today for my day off. Not that I did anything other than potter. Did some tidying up and clearing out of the junk that seems to accumulate when you stop moving. The main task of the day was completing my E-tax return which was not overly extending. Susan is ecstatic that I am now listing her as a partner for the first time.
Even though it was my day off I did instruct Nick in the intricacies of the rubbish and recycling since it is bin day tomorrow.
Susan and I updated our HelpX profile today which will put us at the top of the listings. We feel it is probably time to move on and will see if we get any bites in the next few days.
We had some nice pita bread pizzas for tea along with beer and wine and games of Uno with Nick and Selina. Some hilarious moments not the least of which was when Selina had to pick up 12 cards. She is a very competitive player and the look on her face was priceless since we were all laughing hard. The other hilarity was the shriek Susan let out when she actually won a game. My left ear is still ringing and everybody jumped a foot in the air.
We have our combined day off tomorrow and will try to get away early and head south of Hobart Huonville way and beyond. The trick is to get going early since we can finalise the destinations in the hour it will take to get to Hobart.
bed time
night folks
Cheers Simon
Mild sunny breezy day here today for my day off. Not that I did anything other than potter. Did some tidying up and clearing out of the junk that seems to accumulate when you stop moving. The main task of the day was completing my E-tax return which was not overly extending. Susan is ecstatic that I am now listing her as a partner for the first time.
Even though it was my day off I did instruct Nick in the intricacies of the rubbish and recycling since it is bin day tomorrow.
Susan and I updated our HelpX profile today which will put us at the top of the listings. We feel it is probably time to move on and will see if we get any bites in the next few days.
We had some nice pita bread pizzas for tea along with beer and wine and games of Uno with Nick and Selina. Some hilarious moments not the least of which was when Selina had to pick up 12 cards. She is a very competitive player and the look on her face was priceless since we were all laughing hard. The other hilarity was the shriek Susan let out when she actually won a game. My left ear is still ringing and everybody jumped a foot in the air.
We have our combined day off tomorrow and will try to get away early and head south of Hobart Huonville way and beyond. The trick is to get going early since we can finalise the destinations in the hour it will take to get to Hobart.
bed time
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 236 Nubeena Wednesday 21st September 2011
Sideways before and after shot of the area below.
The area cut yesterday
The area on the other side of the gully. This is how the area above looked before i started.
Evenin' folks,
I started off today investigating the mysterious activation of the pump that we use to pump rainwater to the pool area. This happened the other day and I caught it just after it started rushing down to turn the pump off via the standard clipsal slide up and down outdoor switch. This time there was a lot more water lost. Looks like it was a possum running up the wall via the switch. A nail under the slider should fix it.
Then onto the Toro mower. After fitting the Rover battery and starting it i found a broken tensioner pulley spring. Whether this fixes the clunking noise in the cutting remains to be seen after we source and fit the replacement.
Some crazy stuff happened across the road last night with Ilan's tenant deciding to burn out his car in the front yard. We found out about it today.
This afternoon i did some more slashing with the Deutscher. I had almost finished when I hit a hidden rock breaking one of the blades, which were pretty worn anyway. The heads of the securing bolts were well worn too. We will fit new ones before we return it.
Selina had a good visit to the Devil Park apart from the end of the day when we forgot to pick her up. I arrived at around 415 instead of 3pm. She was not happy.
After completing the days chores in the pool we had a simple tea and the day was done.
Night Folks
cheers Simon
Day 235 Nubeena Tuesday 20th September 2011
Hello,
Another warm sunny day in the apple isle, well in our part of it anyway. I was assigned to prepare the apple crates for their final role as planter boxes in the green house and Nick was to mow. Nick ended up doing the boxes and I took the Deutscher down the back for another run before it is reclaimed by it's owner. Those of you with a mind for minutiae will remember me waxing lyrical about this machine. It cuts and cuts most undergrowth and just keeps going. It can traverse steeper grades than ride on mowers. The only drawback is you have to walk behind it. I wish I had worn my GPS today so I knew the distance I walked. It was up and down hills and my legs were quite fatigued at the end of the three hours. I then hopped on the Rover ride on and had a spin around the flatter areas. Finally it was back to the Toro to work out why it was not co-operating this morning. Verdict the battery is stuffed. Clouds rolled up around 3 and it rained quite hard for 20 minutes before they blew away and the sun came out.
Twas very quiet here this evening only one room in and only us cooking in the kitchen. We watched this Saturdays Doctor Who and retired to our room for tea and muffins. The pictures i promised yesterday are still to be taken. There is always tomorrow.
Cheers Simon
Another warm sunny day in the apple isle, well in our part of it anyway. I was assigned to prepare the apple crates for their final role as planter boxes in the green house and Nick was to mow. Nick ended up doing the boxes and I took the Deutscher down the back for another run before it is reclaimed by it's owner. Those of you with a mind for minutiae will remember me waxing lyrical about this machine. It cuts and cuts most undergrowth and just keeps going. It can traverse steeper grades than ride on mowers. The only drawback is you have to walk behind it. I wish I had worn my GPS today so I knew the distance I walked. It was up and down hills and my legs were quite fatigued at the end of the three hours. I then hopped on the Rover ride on and had a spin around the flatter areas. Finally it was back to the Toro to work out why it was not co-operating this morning. Verdict the battery is stuffed. Clouds rolled up around 3 and it rained quite hard for 20 minutes before they blew away and the sun came out.
Twas very quiet here this evening only one room in and only us cooking in the kitchen. We watched this Saturdays Doctor Who and retired to our room for tea and muffins. The pictures i promised yesterday are still to be taken. There is always tomorrow.
Cheers Simon
Day 234 Nubeena Monday 19th September 2011
Hi All,
First off today's trivia question. As you know we are living in Nubeena an aboriginal word that means ..... ?
It was windy as buggery here today but sunny. Since Keith is coming to pick up his Deutscher it was commanded that we hammer it for the last day, well actually we use it as required. We did this down the back over the creek with Nick driving it and me knocking down blackberries with the brush cutter to allow it entry. I had to straighten the front kick plate with a pipe wrench which slipped and gave me the mother of all blood blisters on a pinky on my left hand when the handles clamped on it. In fact it broke the skin so it wasn't really a blood blister but it bloody hurt. If I had been wearing my gloves like I normally do I would have been fine.
After lunch I fired the Rover ride on into action and Nick did some mowing while I fiddled with some lights. The most important task was putting a globe into an empty socket near the BBQ area so hopefully Susan will not fall into the garden bed on her face like she did last night's blackness. Fortunately no injuries to her or her laptop she was carrying.
Susan had a bit of a lay in today not starting work until the afternoon.
We had a a communal cooked tea again today which certainly adds to the social atmosphere. We are going to have Friday off and I just need to choose my second day which will be dependant on the weather.
Catch you tomorrow folks must be time for some more pictures to break the monotony of my words.
Cheers Simon
Trivia answer: Lobster
First off today's trivia question. As you know we are living in Nubeena an aboriginal word that means ..... ?
It was windy as buggery here today but sunny. Since Keith is coming to pick up his Deutscher it was commanded that we hammer it for the last day, well actually we use it as required. We did this down the back over the creek with Nick driving it and me knocking down blackberries with the brush cutter to allow it entry. I had to straighten the front kick plate with a pipe wrench which slipped and gave me the mother of all blood blisters on a pinky on my left hand when the handles clamped on it. In fact it broke the skin so it wasn't really a blood blister but it bloody hurt. If I had been wearing my gloves like I normally do I would have been fine.
After lunch I fired the Rover ride on into action and Nick did some mowing while I fiddled with some lights. The most important task was putting a globe into an empty socket near the BBQ area so hopefully Susan will not fall into the garden bed on her face like she did last night's blackness. Fortunately no injuries to her or her laptop she was carrying.
Susan had a bit of a lay in today not starting work until the afternoon.
We had a a communal cooked tea again today which certainly adds to the social atmosphere. We are going to have Friday off and I just need to choose my second day which will be dependant on the weather.
Catch you tomorrow folks must be time for some more pictures to break the monotony of my words.
Cheers Simon
Trivia answer: Lobster
Day 233 Nubeena Sunday 18th September 2011
Hi folks,
The art crowd departed efficiently today leaving us to deal with the fallout. After animal feeding and pool tending i was seconded to vacuuming and mopping motel rooms. In between i took Nick down to the Shipsterns Bluff walk. The day was lovely and warm and in the absence of guests quiet and peaceful. There will be more rooms to finish tomorrow. I may be able to avoid it since the Deutscher machine has to be returned to Keith so we need to use it to the full extent before that happens.
We all drove down and recovered Nick from his walk. Returning to the Resort Susan and Ilan prepared lasagne for tea which we ate at around 8pm. We played a few hands of Uno in the shed before retiring to bed. In fact this blog is being typed in the gap beween hands.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
The art crowd departed efficiently today leaving us to deal with the fallout. After animal feeding and pool tending i was seconded to vacuuming and mopping motel rooms. In between i took Nick down to the Shipsterns Bluff walk. The day was lovely and warm and in the absence of guests quiet and peaceful. There will be more rooms to finish tomorrow. I may be able to avoid it since the Deutscher machine has to be returned to Keith so we need to use it to the full extent before that happens.
We all drove down and recovered Nick from his walk. Returning to the Resort Susan and Ilan prepared lasagne for tea which we ate at around 8pm. We played a few hands of Uno in the shed before retiring to bed. In fact this blog is being typed in the gap beween hands.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 232 Nubeena Saturday 17th September 2011
Hi there,
Playing catch up with the blog again. The conferencers are heading off Sunday morning sohopefully things will get back to normal as I have difficulty remembering what happened yesterday!
Saturday started with one of my video blunders that happens about once a year. Ilan wanted his little talk on his community village concept to the conference recorded for uploading to Youtube which I duly did. However when I came to process it, it wasn't there. There was some footage of the floor before hand. Obviously I was out of sync with the record /pause process and didn't notice. It's nice to be a bungler!
With the conference people conferencing it made for an easier day. Miracle of miracles the internet actually co-oprated and ran smoothly for their online material. This after it crashed twice in the morning.
Lunchtime entertainment was provided by Subsonic a sample of their work appears below.
They all shipped out to Koonya for a show after 6 which enabled the helpers to join Phill and Amanda the cafe people for some leftover nibblies with the cafe providing some refreshment. Selina and Susan joined us after they had cooked muffins for supper.
I think the people at the conference enjoyed our facilities and hospitality. Susan will be paddling like mad to catch up in the laundry for the next few days.
Night folks
Simon
Subsonic (3mins)
Playing catch up with the blog again. The conferencers are heading off Sunday morning sohopefully things will get back to normal as I have difficulty remembering what happened yesterday!
Saturday started with one of my video blunders that happens about once a year. Ilan wanted his little talk on his community village concept to the conference recorded for uploading to Youtube which I duly did. However when I came to process it, it wasn't there. There was some footage of the floor before hand. Obviously I was out of sync with the record /pause process and didn't notice. It's nice to be a bungler!
With the conference people conferencing it made for an easier day. Miracle of miracles the internet actually co-oprated and ran smoothly for their online material. This after it crashed twice in the morning.
Lunchtime entertainment was provided by Subsonic a sample of their work appears below.
They all shipped out to Koonya for a show after 6 which enabled the helpers to join Phill and Amanda the cafe people for some leftover nibblies with the cafe providing some refreshment. Selina and Susan joined us after they had cooked muffins for supper.
I think the people at the conference enjoyed our facilities and hospitality. Susan will be paddling like mad to catch up in the laundry for the next few days.
Night folks
Simon
Subsonic (3mins)
Day 231 Nubeena Friday 16th September 2011
Stan leading the drumming
Part of the drum circle. It was actually a lot darker than this flashed picture
Amanda serving
Susan and Selina
Ditto
View in the cafe
Hi Readers,
Those of you who spring out of bed eager to read our exciting adventure first thing of the morning will no doubt be fretting since this epistle is somewhat delayed. This is in no short measure due to the fact I consumed 9 bottles of beer between 7 and midnight last night and the fact I have another head cold. However I get ahead of myself. The day was the first day of the Tasmanian regional arts conference. It did not commence until 6ish. There was plenty of work to be done in setting up the shed and general preparation along with the usual red herrings that appear to make life difficult.
After the start of the conference I was drafted in to shoot some video of "The Blue Mosquitoes" in the cafe for future Resort promotional purposes. At 845pm I flashed up the fire circle for the African drumming session. The weather gods were truly smiling and after a horrendously windy day the wind dropped out completely. The fire was good, helped by my timely collection over the past couple of months of timber not suitable for the combustion stove plus some 60cm tree rounds rescued from the damp grass and placed to dry. The drumming went well and was ably hosted by Stan who holds the drumming sessions here. The funny episode came during the session where each person had to do a solo during a pause in the jungle beat. Stan encouraged that we could do anything including singing and dancing. Since I don't drum but was shaking my maraccas I danced up and down singing "when my baby, when my baby smiles at me I go to Rio." Got a great laugh although Susan said "you idiot". As the fire master I was the last to leave well after 12 with a belly full of beer. I returned to our unit and after a quick conversation with Susan left for a final tour of the grounds before lock down. I was waylaid by Paul and Valda who had been amongst the last to leave the fire and stood talking for another half an hour. Finally I was to bed at 1am after guzzling copious amounts of water. During the night I was like the little piggy who went wee, wee, wee all the way home
It was a long long day but Susan has promised I can goof off tomorrow!
Speaking of Susan, she had 8 rooms to do today along with Selina. She also managed to wrench a muscle in her back lifting a table out of our unit to reception which is a bit of a worry since she does most of the work!
Night folks.
cheers Simon
Blue Mosquito
Drumming cricle
Day 230 Nubeena Thursday 15th September 2011
Good evening,
A long hard day at the Gulag. I needed two spas today to easy my weary body! Susan and Selina had 8 rooms to make up. Nick and I spent the day moving stuff from the shed to the house and tidying the grounds for the weekend. I also managed some mopping and sweeping of the kitchen and the pool, wood for the fire circle, hooking up the creek pump, testing the snake lights in the tree and the list goes on.
We were visited by the fisheries inspectors who inspected the freezers/fridges in the cafe for illegal fish much the same way they do in SA.
The advance guard of the weekend conference arrived and had dinner with us.
After dinner at Susan's suggestion we relaxed in the spa, Susan, myself, Nick plus Teresa and Eunice the arts organisers. Looks like it should be a good weekend.
Anway that's it not even a chicken tale today.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
A long hard day at the Gulag. I needed two spas today to easy my weary body! Susan and Selina had 8 rooms to make up. Nick and I spent the day moving stuff from the shed to the house and tidying the grounds for the weekend. I also managed some mopping and sweeping of the kitchen and the pool, wood for the fire circle, hooking up the creek pump, testing the snake lights in the tree and the list goes on.
We were visited by the fisheries inspectors who inspected the freezers/fridges in the cafe for illegal fish much the same way they do in SA.
The advance guard of the weekend conference arrived and had dinner with us.
After dinner at Susan's suggestion we relaxed in the spa, Susan, myself, Nick plus Teresa and Eunice the arts organisers. Looks like it should be a good weekend.
Anway that's it not even a chicken tale today.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 229 Nubeena Wednesday 14th September 2011
Evenin'
A busy day today. My day started earlier than scheduled as i strolled down to the chicken area in my dressing gown and Crocs to advise some children who were old enough to know better that I didn't think it was appropriate for them to be chasing young chickens through the bushes in our formal garden area and picking up the hatchlings.
After the formal commencement of work I spent the morning cutting and nailing plastic quad into our oldest and grottiest unit along with silastic and no more gaps in an effort to improve its appearance.
I then charged down the creek in the Pajero with a trailer on the back carrying the water supply pump that has been out of service since the last flood. We have a shipload of guests in for the arts conference on the weekend and Ilan is concerned they will drain the tanks. The good news is it is working and pumping. The bad news is that the fittings leak when under pressure. I shall replace them tomorrow. If they still leak it won't be too critical as long as we can pump water up from the creek. We don't have a town water supply here so everyone has to supply their own water. We have survived for about 3 - 4 months on low occupancy rates and rainwater. Now those variables are swinging in the other direction.
We have 12 rooms in tonight, courtesy of the school holidays mainly, so lots of children in the wet area with gallons of water on the floor and probably the same amount of urine in the pools. We were hoping for a quiet day or two to prepare the shed for the conference. Instead we are busy busy so will be a couple of long days.
That said I better have an early night else I will be having one of my grumpy attacks!
Night folks
Simon
A busy day today. My day started earlier than scheduled as i strolled down to the chicken area in my dressing gown and Crocs to advise some children who were old enough to know better that I didn't think it was appropriate for them to be chasing young chickens through the bushes in our formal garden area and picking up the hatchlings.
After the formal commencement of work I spent the morning cutting and nailing plastic quad into our oldest and grottiest unit along with silastic and no more gaps in an effort to improve its appearance.
I then charged down the creek in the Pajero with a trailer on the back carrying the water supply pump that has been out of service since the last flood. We have a shipload of guests in for the arts conference on the weekend and Ilan is concerned they will drain the tanks. The good news is it is working and pumping. The bad news is that the fittings leak when under pressure. I shall replace them tomorrow. If they still leak it won't be too critical as long as we can pump water up from the creek. We don't have a town water supply here so everyone has to supply their own water. We have survived for about 3 - 4 months on low occupancy rates and rainwater. Now those variables are swinging in the other direction.
We have 12 rooms in tonight, courtesy of the school holidays mainly, so lots of children in the wet area with gallons of water on the floor and probably the same amount of urine in the pools. We were hoping for a quiet day or two to prepare the shed for the conference. Instead we are busy busy so will be a couple of long days.
That said I better have an early night else I will be having one of my grumpy attacks!
Night folks
Simon
Day 228 Nubeena Tuesday 13th September 2011
Hello,
Our day off today. We had a slow start but eventually got into gear. The new chicks were out today so i went down to take a picture. Unfortunately some were lost between the plastic and the haystack and my efforts to get them out made them run further inside. I pulled up the black plastic and captured the lost ones and reunited them with their mother. I then led the ducks back to the dam before they could practise their usual graffiti.
We drove out to Fortescue Bay which once again confirmed its place as my number one location in this neck of the woods. After biting the bullet and buying a new parks pass for 12 months all parks access (my previous 2 month pass expired in May) we headed off on our nominated walk to Canoe Bay and Bivouac Bay. A pleasant walk with many of the shrubs in flower. The wreck at Canoe Bay is a barge sunk in the late 50's to act as a breakwater. On the way to Canoe Bay you pass through the penguin colony not that there are any there during the day. Since it is the end of the breeding season there are still a few vagrants as evidenced by some growling heard from under a fallen tree. I also came upon what i presumed was a rat of what variety i don't know. It was quite unconcerned about my presence to a degree. We headed on towards Bivouac Bay but due to time constraints didn't reach our destination. A legacy of starting out late and dawdling along the track. We returned to the car soaking up the late afternoon sun. Returning home we stopped in at the "Fox and Hounds" a fairly garish imitation of a medieval English pub and had tea which was of a good standard and accompanied by a bottle of D'Arenberg Shiraz.The forecast showers of rain have arrived with hopefully not too wet a day tomorrow.
night Folks
cheers Simon
Our day off today. We had a slow start but eventually got into gear. The new chicks were out today so i went down to take a picture. Unfortunately some were lost between the plastic and the haystack and my efforts to get them out made them run further inside. I pulled up the black plastic and captured the lost ones and reunited them with their mother. I then led the ducks back to the dam before they could practise their usual graffiti.
We drove out to Fortescue Bay which once again confirmed its place as my number one location in this neck of the woods. After biting the bullet and buying a new parks pass for 12 months all parks access (my previous 2 month pass expired in May) we headed off on our nominated walk to Canoe Bay and Bivouac Bay. A pleasant walk with many of the shrubs in flower. The wreck at Canoe Bay is a barge sunk in the late 50's to act as a breakwater. On the way to Canoe Bay you pass through the penguin colony not that there are any there during the day. Since it is the end of the breeding season there are still a few vagrants as evidenced by some growling heard from under a fallen tree. I also came upon what i presumed was a rat of what variety i don't know. It was quite unconcerned about my presence to a degree. We headed on towards Bivouac Bay but due to time constraints didn't reach our destination. A legacy of starting out late and dawdling along the track. We returned to the car soaking up the late afternoon sun. Returning home we stopped in at the "Fox and Hounds" a fairly garish imitation of a medieval English pub and had tea which was of a good standard and accompanied by a bottle of D'Arenberg Shiraz.The forecast showers of rain have arrived with hopefully not too wet a day tomorrow.
night Folks
cheers Simon
Day 227 Nubeena Monday 12th September 2011
 |
| Unknown shrub adjacent Tessellated Pavement. |
Hi Folks,
The chicken snippet for today is that there are around 11 chicks.
I started the day with a nice spa as did Susan although hers was 30 minutes before mine.
A nice sunny day. Susan worked a split shift which enabled us to journey back to waterfall bay with Nick and Selina to walk to the bay and then to Waterfall Bluff. A nice walk with the customary scenic cliff views and some interesting conversations. We lunched on top of the cliff before returning to the car. Since the tide was actually out for a change we ventured down to the Tessellated Pavement and were able to walk around unlike the last 2 visits. We returned to The Resort and enjoyed community dinner prepared by Ilan and Caroline. A pleasant evening although we didn't play Uno or watch Doctor Who as planned.
Tomorrow i get to do it all again as we both have the day off. The weather has improved rapidly but another front is scheduled for late tomorrow.
Catch you later folks.
Cheers Simon
On the way to Waterfall Bluff
End of the Waterfall Bluff walk.
Blue Wren
Day 226 Nubeena Sunday 11th September 2011
Chicken Tales Part III
The salt and pepper hen brooding the expensive eggs hops out to have a feed. In the meantime blondie our white hen so named due to her similarity with the human female blond decides to go and lay an egg in the nest and not get up again. We now have the white hen sitting on on the surrogate eggs and presumably one or some of her own. The salt and pepper hen in the next stall sitting on, probably nothing. I will take a picture tomorrow if the situation is still the same. Looks like there will be some lifting and replacing of hens on nests tomorrow. . Still no firm final number on the chicks at his stage it looks like 5 or 6. I think they will be out of the hidey hole with mum tomorrow or the next day as they are quite mobile.
The rest of the day was pretty standard motel fare of repairs and maintenance. I managed to do a top job on mopping the pool floor and getting it nice and clean and dry. Just in time for the next invasion of teenagers which occurred about an hour after I finished! I wouldn't have any trouble with the pool and spa if people didn't keep jumping in them!
Tomorrow is my day off as is Tuesday very nice. Although I seem to have picked up another cold to replace the one i just got rid of. Susan is feeling rather tired after 3 12 hour days. Tomorrow she will have a block of time in the middle of the day so we can have a walk. The weather is what I would describe as bracing with whipping south westerly winds. A marked change after the balmy promise of spring last week. Community dinner tomorrow night. I think i will light the fire so we can watch this weeks Doctor Who on the big screen in the shed in some comfort.
Anyway 1130 well past bedtime.
Night Folks Cheers Simon
The salt and pepper hen brooding the expensive eggs hops out to have a feed. In the meantime blondie our white hen so named due to her similarity with the human female blond decides to go and lay an egg in the nest and not get up again. We now have the white hen sitting on on the surrogate eggs and presumably one or some of her own. The salt and pepper hen in the next stall sitting on, probably nothing. I will take a picture tomorrow if the situation is still the same. Looks like there will be some lifting and replacing of hens on nests tomorrow. . Still no firm final number on the chicks at his stage it looks like 5 or 6. I think they will be out of the hidey hole with mum tomorrow or the next day as they are quite mobile.
The rest of the day was pretty standard motel fare of repairs and maintenance. I managed to do a top job on mopping the pool floor and getting it nice and clean and dry. Just in time for the next invasion of teenagers which occurred about an hour after I finished! I wouldn't have any trouble with the pool and spa if people didn't keep jumping in them!
Tomorrow is my day off as is Tuesday very nice. Although I seem to have picked up another cold to replace the one i just got rid of. Susan is feeling rather tired after 3 12 hour days. Tomorrow she will have a block of time in the middle of the day so we can have a walk. The weather is what I would describe as bracing with whipping south westerly winds. A marked change after the balmy promise of spring last week. Community dinner tomorrow night. I think i will light the fire so we can watch this weeks Doctor Who on the big screen in the shed in some comfort.
Anyway 1130 well past bedtime.
Night Folks Cheers Simon
Day 225 Nubeena Saturday 10th September 2011
Hi folks,
Welcome to this episode of the avian report.
I cleaned both the electric BBQ's this morning. In operation they get quite hot and consequently form tenacious carbon deposits on their stainless steel surfaces. I am generally warmed by the fact that about 9 out of every 10 guests actually clean the BBQ's to some degree after they use them. Last nights guests couldn't since the cleaning apparatus had been removed on our last open day lest some of the visitors be shocked by the sight of steel wool, a spray bottle, bucket and other bits and pieces packed under the sink. So it was I spent an hour cleaning them with steel wool,a scraper, cleaning solutions and ajax, plus of course the stainless steel bench tops. I then decided to to do the wooden bench tops, the brick walls and the concrete floor. After I had finished all the chickens decided to march through the area and defecate everywhere. It could have been worse. The ducks, who had already sprayed the area outside the pool room earlier in the day, did not join the party.
You will see at the top of the blog the first pictures of the new chicks. I have counted at least 6 so it will be interesting to see how many more arrive.
Susan cooked a nice green chicken curry ans sticky date pudding for community dinner. A community of 3!
After dinner i decided to have a spa. I hopped in and realised it was a bit on the cool side. The heater obviously didn't kick back in after I switched the pump off to open the bromine dosing pot at midday. I was looking forward to luxuriating in 38 degree water. Instead i had to stagger out cold and wet in my towel and dressing gown and reset the heater. The 45kg gas bottle we had delivered yesterday to heat the pool is half gone already according to Alan who delivered another one today. He used the Armstrong scale. Although I am not convinced of the accuracy he has been handling them since Adam was a boy so it's probably a good guide. 20kg of gas to heat the pool for half a day! Pools, spas and boats, find a mate who has them because they cost a fortune to run!
Anyway enough of my whinging. I eagerly await the emergence of another batch of pooping machines from their lair to start their life's journey. We have a nice little cache of home grown eggs. Another 4 today gives us around 20 in store.
Night folks
Simon
Day 224 Nubeena Friday 9th September 2011
Hi folks,
A fairly frantic morning for us today. We have an imbalance of room allocations due to the school holidays. Everyone wants 2 bedroom apartments and no one wants a standard one room motel unit. Our problem was the 2 bedroom units have all needed a bit of work because they are non renovated. Anyway after a bit of rushing around we had the last room ready not helped by the fact the guests decided to roll up just after midday! Of course with a large number of children here the wet area is getting a hammering so there will be a lot of mopping and water testing. The weather this evening has been diabolical, 60 km/h winds and lashing showers, which will make it hard to dry the pool mats outside.
The more interesting news of the day concerned the chickens. I peeked into the nest behind the black plastic and saw 2 little chicks. How many are there is too early to tell. It will make things interesting. I have been reticent in my cleaning of the chookhouse due to the fact we have another broody hen sitting on Annette's clutch of $60 eggs. However today i could stand it no longer and when I removed the semi circular piece of corrugated plastic underneath was a well formed nest with around 15 eggs, all cold and from at least 2 different chickens judging by the colour. This will obviate the need to buy eggs this week.
The rest of the day was filled with the usual motel noise.
Stay tuned for more chicken tales.
cheers
Simon
Day 223 Nubeena Thursday 8th September 2011
Hello,
Busy day with some modest achievement. First off it looks like our newer chooks, the brown ones have started to lay, evidenced by some smaller darker shelled eggs found this morning in the Hilton. I had some room maintenance items to attend to along with trying to find components to make bunks and delivering a lawnmower to the tenant across the road so he could cut his grass. This afternoon I spent time up on the roof looking for Channels 7 and SBS which have disappeared. I rewired and cleaned the junction box on the antenna and used my GPS to point it towards Mount Wellington where I assume the signal is broadcast from. Anyway channels 7 and SBS have returned. There are still a couple missing but I am assuming we are too fringe to receive them. It would be handy to have the luxury of a signal strength meter. The other drama this afternoon was the pool was cold as we had run out of gas. Tonight's community dinner was done with my 4kg gas bottle hooked up to the supply line. Hopefully we will get 45kg bottle delivered tomorrow morning other wise there will be some unhappy swimmers on the weekend.
We had community tea tonight with Joss and Kersten and their children and Selina. They provided wine and ice cream and Susan provided a very nice lasagne. Conversation was centered around eco communities. It was a pleasant evening. Unfortunately I was reminded tomorrow was bin day. Just the sort of thing you need with a belly full of food and alcohol. Even better as I sorted the recycling and lugged out the bins it started raining!
I had good energy today which i ascribe to a couple of early nights and finally getting over my cold. It is now 1045 and the blog is done and i have had a spa so I shall put my head on the pillow shortly for another early night and leap tall buildings with a single bound tomorrow hopefully.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 222 Nubeena Wednesday 7th September 2011
Hi All,
Day off today for me. We availed ourselves of the spa first up. It was rather cool having just been turned on. I attempted to get Lynne's phone working as a modem on her pc after it stopped doing so the other day. It was beyond me in the time available so a job for another day. Selina and i set off for Sorell at about 11. She used her translator a fair bit on the way as she asked questions about the English language. I dropped her at Sorell to Op shop while i headed on to Cambridge to the shops i usually visit. Picked up a couple of bargains and headed back to Sorell at 2pm. After a bite to eat we drove to Hobart where i picked up some pool analysis tablets at the pool shop. We then visited the shopping precinct separately before meeting up for a coffee and then separating again. Once again i picked up a couple of items and we finally headed back to Nubeena a 6 arriving just after 7. Selina is a bit of a character. She studied Japanese at university back in Taiwan and her last job was as a television news scheduler if i under stand her description correctly. We were zooming along the freeway into Hobart and she was trying to select a song on the car DVD player. I reached to press a couple of buttons on the stereo and we drifted onto the rumble white lines which scared her a bit. As we drove on I heard the dalek voice come from her translator saying "concentrate". I was laughing so hard the car almost left the road completely. Anyway we decided the best phrase for her to use was "watch the road" It is comforting to know that if the current road angel malfunctions there is another waiting in the wings! The busy ness factor is increasing here occupancy wise. With just the three of us we will be flat out methinks for the next few days.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day off today for me. We availed ourselves of the spa first up. It was rather cool having just been turned on. I attempted to get Lynne's phone working as a modem on her pc after it stopped doing so the other day. It was beyond me in the time available so a job for another day. Selina and i set off for Sorell at about 11. She used her translator a fair bit on the way as she asked questions about the English language. I dropped her at Sorell to Op shop while i headed on to Cambridge to the shops i usually visit. Picked up a couple of bargains and headed back to Sorell at 2pm. After a bite to eat we drove to Hobart where i picked up some pool analysis tablets at the pool shop. We then visited the shopping precinct separately before meeting up for a coffee and then separating again. Once again i picked up a couple of items and we finally headed back to Nubeena a 6 arriving just after 7. Selina is a bit of a character. She studied Japanese at university back in Taiwan and her last job was as a television news scheduler if i under stand her description correctly. We were zooming along the freeway into Hobart and she was trying to select a song on the car DVD player. I reached to press a couple of buttons on the stereo and we drifted onto the rumble white lines which scared her a bit. As we drove on I heard the dalek voice come from her translator saying "concentrate". I was laughing so hard the car almost left the road completely. Anyway we decided the best phrase for her to use was "watch the road" It is comforting to know that if the current road angel malfunctions there is another waiting in the wings! The busy ness factor is increasing here occupancy wise. With just the three of us we will be flat out methinks for the next few days.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 221 Nubeena Tuesday 6th September 2011
Hi Folks,
Quiet day today punctuated by a few showers which we need to keep the tanks topped up. Susan had Jonas and I shifting beds and bunks around this morning to accommodate her calculation of what we need to manage the full house school group later in the year. I was lifting bunk bits up in the shed across the road and thought i could smell sour milk on some of the bits. It was unfortunately the odour of decaying rat which was about half a meter from my feet. This afternoon I did a bit of shopping/mail run for the resort and then settled down to bringing unit 5 up to scratch for the general public. It is nearly done with just a bit of filling, painting and a carpet strip to finish off. That's about it for the day. I am off tomorrow and have volunteered to take Selina to the ops shops at Sorell. I will continue on to Cambridge to the mens shops not that I really need anything.
Night all
Simon
Quiet day today punctuated by a few showers which we need to keep the tanks topped up. Susan had Jonas and I shifting beds and bunks around this morning to accommodate her calculation of what we need to manage the full house school group later in the year. I was lifting bunk bits up in the shed across the road and thought i could smell sour milk on some of the bits. It was unfortunately the odour of decaying rat which was about half a meter from my feet. This afternoon I did a bit of shopping/mail run for the resort and then settled down to bringing unit 5 up to scratch for the general public. It is nearly done with just a bit of filling, painting and a carpet strip to finish off. That's about it for the day. I am off tomorrow and have volunteered to take Selina to the ops shops at Sorell. I will continue on to Cambridge to the mens shops not that I really need anything.
Night all
Simon
Day 220 Nubeena Monday 5th September 2011
Erect Guinea Flower
Dogwood
Hi Folks,
First off we overlooked an anniversary of sorts. With 147 days last year and 220 this year we have been on the road for 367 days or a whole year.
Today was a ditto of yesterday for me. Susan was off today and we goofed off for the morning before leaving to do the walk i did yesterday with my plan being to do the extra section up to the top if the falls. This did not happen since we were late leaving due to having to fit the bike carrier and then having to drive to Dunalley to pick up Jonas a new helper from Germany who has cycled down from Burnie. From our short contact so far he seems like a bit of a character. i.e. he bluffed his way onto a freight boat to Burnie for $50 because the Spirit of Tasmania was too expensive @ $220. Sounds like the accommodation was better on the freighter. Anyway back to the walk. I used the opportunity to confirm some of my plant identifications from yesterday and to take some fresh shots. There is a one way walk from Waterfall Bay to Fortescue Bay that takes 7 hours which i may attempt when the weather is a bit warmer. Will get Susan to drop me off at the start and pick me up at the finish.
We had a community dinner tonight. Nice meal and a good welcome for Jonas. It was also the last night for Dr Bill Metcalf the lead speaker on "Intentional Communities" at the seminar and workshop staged recently. He returns to the warmth of Brisbane.
Catch you later folks
Cheers Simon
Day 219 Nubeena Sunday 4th September 2011
Erect Guinea Flower, the flash kept operating which is why the picture looks over exposed
Silver Banksia
Dogwood (I think)
Parks service environmental burning. Every 5 to 10 years.
Swamp Heath
Prickly Mimosa
Parrots pea
Hi Folks,
A day off for me and a late start for Susan. We celebrated by tidying up the unit which tends to get neglected in the general scheme of things. I pottered around doing some minor tasks one of which was checking the Hilton. As I suspected yesterday we have another broody hen. Brooding what I don't know but will endeavour to find out. Annette our office person has some eggs she needs hatched and raised so we will try and slip them in to the nest for some surrogacy.
After lunch I headed down to Eaglehawk Neck to do a short walk to Waterfall Bay. On my arrival I was greeted by a heavy rain shower lasting about 5 minutes. The weather today was slightly strange, mild with some heavy showers from dark clouds. There was lovely damp air on the walk and very little breeze. The path was formed from road base and was nominally suitable for wheelchairs. This made it possible to walk and look around rather than the normal watch every step in case you trip over on a boulder. The spring flowers were starting to emerge and the scenery was typical of this part of the coast. At the turnaround point in Waterfall bay there was a carpark and a further walk to the top of the falls visible in the picture. A must do walk for another day.
Cheers Simon
Day 218 Nubeena Saturday 3rd September 2011
Hi All,
This morning was spent preparing for the visitors to the resort to continue the intentional communities discussion. For Susan this was shed preparation and food. For me tidying up out the back and vacuuming the yard adjacent to the wall. This displaced the usual chores to the afternoon. Those completed i continued the repairs in unit 5. Bogging up a hole to accept a light switch plate.
Community tea had a blend of people from the seminar today and was an interesting evening of discussion fuelled by a bit of wine which i will pay for in bed and in the morning.
I did manage to clean the road tar off the side of the Pajero after my shift using turps. If the weather is clement tomorrow i will apply some polish. The shock will probably make the wheels fall off.
Anyway that's all folks. Must be about time for some pictures to break the text up.
night Simon.
This morning was spent preparing for the visitors to the resort to continue the intentional communities discussion. For Susan this was shed preparation and food. For me tidying up out the back and vacuuming the yard adjacent to the wall. This displaced the usual chores to the afternoon. Those completed i continued the repairs in unit 5. Bogging up a hole to accept a light switch plate.
Community tea had a blend of people from the seminar today and was an interesting evening of discussion fuelled by a bit of wine which i will pay for in bed and in the morning.
I did manage to clean the road tar off the side of the Pajero after my shift using turps. If the weather is clement tomorrow i will apply some polish. The shock will probably make the wheels fall off.
Anyway that's all folks. Must be about time for some pictures to break the text up.
night Simon.
Days 216 & 217 Nubeena Thursday Friday 1st & 2nd September 2011
Hi Folks,
I am finally getting on top of my cold. The best medicine for my raging throat has proven to be gargling warm salty water. Thursday was a topsy day since our toil was directed to supporting the "Intentional Communities" seminar in Hobart in the evening. The bins were put out early and I washed the Pajero since I had passengers and it is not much fun getting covered in dirt when you brush up against the car.
I was observing the chickens before I left and the new found freedom of the chicks has its drawbacks since mum no longer protects them and they find themselves at the bottom of the pecking order and henpecked they are.
The seminar passed quickly and had a good roll out. Susan did a great job getting the food ready although there were a few hiccups on the way out of her control. By the time we packed up and drove home it was close to midnight hence the 2 days in one blog. I also have to produce cd's of the audio i recorded from the seminar on my great little Panasonic notetaker. Unfortunately the software is not great and has to run under windows XP so i have to resurrect one of the old clunkers here to get the audio off. Panasonic don't have any software to do it under windows 7!
Today Friday was glorious weather with rumours of 20 tomorrow. I spent the day doing maintenance on rooms as we make them presentable for the coming season. The first test is in 2 weeks time for the regional arts festival where we will be close to a full house. Today was exhaust fans, lights, stoves and bar radiators. It would have been a great day for bushwalking however that will have to wait until Sunday.
I went to the IGA today and bought a loaf of Lawsons bread to make sandwiches for lunch. I have hit the wall as far as using the abomination that is previously frozen bread!
I finished the day with a spa and another salt gargle. For some reason the TV reception went down the toilet this evening on both systems which tends to indicate it was something at the tower. Of course the worst affected channel was the live broadcast of the Geelong v Collingwood blockbuster. Anyway you get used to the power, television and internet being dodgey when you live in the country.
Spring is in the air and my thoughts are turning to travel rather than toil!
Night folks
Cheers Simon
I am finally getting on top of my cold. The best medicine for my raging throat has proven to be gargling warm salty water. Thursday was a topsy day since our toil was directed to supporting the "Intentional Communities" seminar in Hobart in the evening. The bins were put out early and I washed the Pajero since I had passengers and it is not much fun getting covered in dirt when you brush up against the car.
I was observing the chickens before I left and the new found freedom of the chicks has its drawbacks since mum no longer protects them and they find themselves at the bottom of the pecking order and henpecked they are.
The seminar passed quickly and had a good roll out. Susan did a great job getting the food ready although there were a few hiccups on the way out of her control. By the time we packed up and drove home it was close to midnight hence the 2 days in one blog. I also have to produce cd's of the audio i recorded from the seminar on my great little Panasonic notetaker. Unfortunately the software is not great and has to run under windows XP so i have to resurrect one of the old clunkers here to get the audio off. Panasonic don't have any software to do it under windows 7!
Today Friday was glorious weather with rumours of 20 tomorrow. I spent the day doing maintenance on rooms as we make them presentable for the coming season. The first test is in 2 weeks time for the regional arts festival where we will be close to a full house. Today was exhaust fans, lights, stoves and bar radiators. It would have been a great day for bushwalking however that will have to wait until Sunday.
I went to the IGA today and bought a loaf of Lawsons bread to make sandwiches for lunch. I have hit the wall as far as using the abomination that is previously frozen bread!
I finished the day with a spa and another salt gargle. For some reason the TV reception went down the toilet this evening on both systems which tends to indicate it was something at the tower. Of course the worst affected channel was the live broadcast of the Geelong v Collingwood blockbuster. Anyway you get used to the power, television and internet being dodgey when you live in the country.
Spring is in the air and my thoughts are turning to travel rather than toil!
Night folks
Cheers Simon
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