It's late, I'm tired and just a little drunk so........

I thought I'd blog about my evening....don't panic I'm sober enough to check what I'm writing before I publish it!

I went to my work Christmas party tonight......hence my level of intoxication. It was a reasonably nice function on a mountain ridge overlooking the town where we are living now.......great views!. The food was good and plentiful as was the beer and wine. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Then it happened.....

The Secret Santa arrived.....

We all got presents valued at about $10.00 of varied usefulness and in some cases quite clever humour.....it was going so well as I sat there admiring my gift, a book called "Bored @ work office doodles" when I heard my name called a second time......this isn't right I thought....but I was pressed into going up to receive a second present from Santa. I quickly headed back to the table and discovered that it was 3 cartons of iced coffee flavoured beverage.....for which I am famous for consuming in quantity...clearly an inside joke from a work mate.

That would have been okay except I was suddenly confronted by a lady who started shouting at me about her husband buying me the book and then him getting nothing......oh dear.....it seems that the bloke that bought my Secret Santa gift had missed out on a gift himself due to someone not showing up on the night!

But.....

He was drunk and got very upset......storming out of the function and shouting to all around incoherently, his wife in trail. I felt awful but couldn't say or do anything to help. Then it occurred to me....it's not my fault! I didn't make this happen!

It's strange how childishly a 45 year old man can behave when drunk!

I was just tagged with this so...........

The 5 Things Meme

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Recovering from the shock of being promoted to Sergeant.
2. Planning our second trip to the U.S. (we've been 5 times now)
3. Trying to work out how to survive a posting to the most unpopular unit in any law enforcement agency - Internal Affairs!!!
4. Preparing for our 17th wedding anniversary.
5. Discovering how dangerous it can be to become a boss to a friend (who is now a former friend!).

5 things on my to do list today:
1. Do the grocery shopping (just finished it actually - all by myself!!).
2. Plan out how I'm going to explain to a subordinate on Monday that she needs to re-do a coroners file again - for the 6th time!
3. Work out how I'm going to get that officers supervisor to actually get of his arse and help her do the coroners file - he knows it all and can't be asked.....or told!!!
4. Try to motivate myself to clean the house.
5. Spend some time reading for enjoyment.

5 snacks I love:
1. Good quality chocolate.
2. Spicy fruit roll biscuits (pillow biscuits).
3. Iced coffee (to me it's a major food group as well!).
4. Beer (specifically my home brew, dark lagers and ales on tap and porters)- The Egyptians used it as a snack and it was classified as a major food for the Irish navvies in England in the 19th century.
5. Sushi - well it doesn't really classify as a meal!

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Buy a portfolio of properties to generate retirement income.
2. Visit Dr and Mrs Odyssey and other family in the U.S......by boat.
3. Take Mrs. Jolly to all the places we have wanted to visit around the world.
4. Buy my Mum and Dad some suitable housing for their older years - without telling each other so there are no arguments.
5. Send some funds to Sea Shepherd or Greenpeace to finally stop the whaling fleets.

5 places I've lived:
1. Hemmel Hempstead, London, England.
2. Perth, Western Australia.
3. Toodyay, Western Australia.
4. M.S. Statendam.
5. Albany, Western Australia.

5 jobs I've had:
1. Newspaper round.
2. Selling car accessories and parts.
3. Junk mail delivery (to earn enough money to go to Odyssey's wedding).
4. Grano worker - manufacturing concrete products.
5. Rubbish collector, street sweeper, social worker, first aider, marriage guidance counselor, mental health worker, intelligence analyst, dignitary security, revenue collector, problem-solver, child welfare officer and general go-to person all in the one job - I'm a Policeman!!!

5 people I'll tag:
Five people I don't know enough about (or want to know more about).
1. The List.
2. Ozcyberminx.
3. Secret Mummy......if she ever reads this blog!!
4. Sadly....that's all I've got.

Spring is here.....!!!!

Spring has arrived.....this morning it was sunny and the air was still. So I went for a ride.......just a short one but it was great (except for the large crane that tried to fly through my helmet.....it just missed me!). Fresh air and the sound of British engineering rumbling away......what a life. I am determined to enjoy the rest of the week because work beckons.....holidays end Sunday and night shift starts Monday.....bugger! Still....I get to ride the bike to work...:-)

And my other spring task is underway.....brewing! I have two brews on the go so the house reeks of hops and malt.....yum! Should be ready for late spring tasting......hmmmm....beeeer!

Must remember not to combine my two loves.......might fall off the bike.....that would be bad!

Oh....and I've changed my blog

Just a bit!

:-)

My new toy!!!!!

Ok...at the risk of boring everyone to tears I decided to blog about my new toy.....well I think I really mean brag, spruik, skite or generally talk vociferously in an annoying fashion about it!

Here it is




















Pretty.....and very retro too!

I ordered it and then had to wait for nearly three months for it to arrive from England...yep they are still made in 'ol Blighty'.

For the technically minded.......and because I'm boasting, she's a 2008 Triumph 865cc Bonneville T100 (100 for her reputed top speed in mph.....and I haven't tried yet!). This one is the last model before they go to fuel injection so it's still a real 'retro' bike. Triumph have managed to do an almost perfect job of recreating the classic 'Bonnie' of the 1970's without the drawbacks of the original......copious oil leaks and electrics by (Lord) Lucas - 'Prince of darkness'. The one main failing is the they are fitted with a very pretty but very quiet retro exhaust system that saps the engine power and whistles like a Japanese bike......not mine! I had some specially designed retro looking aftermarket pipes fitted and now it sounds like a '70's Bonneville....not too loud but rorty....to use a bike rider's phrase.

When I bought it I hadn't ridden a bike in some 15 years so it was with some trepidation that I picked it up.....on a rainy day....in peak hour traffic (for Albany). And worst still I had my better half and the salesman watching as I took off! All went well and I been slowly remembering the skills of riding. I commute most days and have ridden in the rain, during storms and on mornings when it has been around 2 degrees C.....and that's cold enough to shrink your tool shed...thank you very much!

One of the great things about riding is all the really cool gear you need, like jackets with 'body armour', cool looking helmets, kevlar lined jeans and carbon fibre reinforced gloves.....even I start to look like a 'terminator' in that kind of gear.....well a chubby terminator maybe!

I had forgotten how much fun riding a bike is and how stupid other road users can be.........it's a real mix of pleasure and terror.....but it's worth it.

You can't wipe the smile off my face....:-)

Another day in paradise..........

It's my favourite saying......every day at work I will be heard saying it.....often with a sarcastic tone.

But here.......it's true!

Today we went to the fishing boat harbour for lunch.....the best fish and chips I've had (sorry Odyssey...better than Cottesloe!) It was actually fish and chips with squid.....yum.

It was sunny and peaceful and.....well just look










































It doesn't get much better than this...............

Shark attack...!!!

Yes....a real shark attack. It happened on Saturday morning at about 7.30am on a town beach in Albany. The good news is that the man attacked is going to be okay and the better news is that he was pulled from the water by a local lady who swam out 80 metres from the beach knowing there was a large shark in the water....now that's brave! She is an extraordinary person in my book and deserves all the kudo's and accolades that can be offered....what a woman!!!

We went down to the beach to see if we could spot the shark (which is apparently about 6-7 metres in length and probably a White Pointer) and so did half of the population of our state...or so it seemed. Here are a few pictures I snapped












and these guys










Sort of puts paid to the theory that where there are dolphins there are no sharks...in fact the guy that was attacked had been swimming with the pod of dolphins that these two belong to.......these guys were just swimming up and down about 15 feet from the beach sand looking at the crowd and playing. The shark was still out there about 500 metres out but these dolphins didn't seem to be concerned...I guess they know what's safe for them! They were having a ball....no one else was swimming....no surprises there!

Later on we went out to the local power facility to enjoy the view...............and what a view



I am proud to be in a community that is using green energy. This wind farm is absolutely beautiful to behold.....the turbines are sculptural and awe-inspiring. (And to the critics....they don't kill local bird life and whilst they do make some noise it is not loud.....the abundant wildlife appear pretty unconcerned).

The wonders of nature.....

Yesterday we took the dog for a walk.....at the beach.....this is the dog....Max...



















This is the beach.....Goode Beach......near Albany














When you walk on the dry sand on this beach your feet make squeaking sounds....a bit like the sound of sneakers on a basketball court.....what's really strange is that Max's feet made the same squeaking sounds.....weird....!!!

We were all very tired afterwards......out of shape is more like it...


Isn't nature grand!

Natural beauty.........

Today we went for a drive to a few of the many local places of natural beauty. the first is the 'natural bridge'.............



The swell was pretty calm....only about 2 metres but it's pretty clear how powerful the ocean can be.....this was created by ocean swell working against granite....not bad! Then we moved along the coast to the 'blow-holes' which is another interesting effort were the ocean has worn holes in the rock under a ledge and the waves trap air which is forced up through the holes sounding much like a gigantic whale blasting air through it's blow-hole....



'eL' is looking over the holes which are just down the rock a little...no direct pictures of the holes because they often shoot out spray and occasionally rocks under the pressure of the air....not safe to stand over the top.


The ocean is the Great Southern Ocean....next stop Antarctica!















And finally Goode's Beach....we're thinking that this would be a nice spot to build a house to retire to......and there is land available.















What a horrible lifestyle......but I guess someone has to suffer.....:-)

Night shift..........

Well....I've just finished my first night shift in Albany....actually the first one in about 20 years....so please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors.

I'm astonished at how well I've coped with the 7 days straight of working between 11.00pm and 7.00am........I slept well each day and stayed awake each night without problems.

Night shift brings out the strangest and sometimes the worst in people.....well in our customers anyway. We had people calling '000' to speak to the bailiff or to ask us to make housemates move out (apparently being an annoying housemate is a 'life-threatening' emergency these days!). Sadly we also had an extensive sea search and rescue operation this week involving a Canadian student who was washed off the rocks near a local natural attraction called 'The Gap'.........he hasn't been located since and the weather hasn't been kind. On a lighter note I have found that getting home at sun rise down here presents you with some of the most beautiful natural sights which change constantly........spectacular clouds, fog, and stunning blue ocean on the drive home......it doesn't get much better than that!

Even with the occasional tragic event.......I'm having a ball and really enjoying the 'country policing' environment. The move here has been the right decision ....so far.........and I can't see it changing.

I'm baaaaacck!

After a long and frustrating hiatus from these pages I have finally been able to regain my internet access.......about bloody time too! A month without any internet access was very annoying and getting the holdup rectified was even more frustrating......whilst I now have access I think the billing is still way wrong......and not in my favour!

Anyway..............

The move has gone amazingly well and we had no breakages......don't ask how that happened, I'm not. The new house....and it is brand new, is four bedroom, 2 bathroom and even has a home theatre room! but it's very white bread.......no real character although I would argue that it's gaining character by having us here. The locals are very nice,here is a picture of our next-door neighbour out hunting



Not bad for a picture from the back door......it's a black shouldered kite. We have a fair bit of wildlife around and signs on the road warning to be careful of turtles and bandicoots....apparently they like to cross the road without looking!

Work is going well and is alot more relaxed than the last place......although being a country Police Station also means we are the call centre for local '000' calls which can be very interesting - for example we have a local nuisance caller who regularly phones to report the theft of her clitoris!.....apparently she has also come into the station to make the same report.....it takes a special skill to deal with some of our work.

'eL' has been unpacking and making this place a home...there has been a huge amount of throwing out or donating of old possessions....quickly followed by the purchasing of replacement with 'new stuff'. No surprises there.....

Oh....and we have already started visiting the local wineries and restaurants....of course.

Recent events and musings.........

As I implied in my last post I have been transferred to a town 500 km south of where we live.....a place called Albany. It's a lovely, coastal country town with a mild climate and it's close to vineyards and their wineries, the most beautiful beaches on the planet and a multitude of natural attractions......in fact during the calving season you can see humpback whales from my new office windows.....frolicking in the bay!

The day after I received news of the transfer my boss (hairplug!) had a family tragedy.....his adult son was killed in a road crash.......what a disaster! I may not really like the man but I really feel for him.......this is something no one deserves.

Since then we have been very busy at work helping out, making arrangements and being as supportive as we can......hopefully it has helped.

Yesterday it dawned on me that because of events at work, Christmas and New Years celebrations I had already lost 3 weeks of the 6 weeks I had to prepare for the big move south.......we haven't moved with my work for 15 years so this is going to be a bugger of a job.....packing and driving and all the rest. Then a good friend said to me, "relax, it's like a tsunami, it's going to happen anyway so just go with it!"

So that's what we are going to try to do.........stay tuned!!