More changes....

Well it looks like we've sold our house in Perth......yay. So now it's time to start the process of building our 'ideal' home.......this could be very interesting. We've (and I mean 'eL' when I say that) been collecting lots of images, ideas, concepts, wishes and stuff that is all going towards deciding what our new home will look like.......good thing 'eL' knows what she's doing because I'm struggling a bit. To be fair though she has a great eye and I'm liking what she has suggested.....a lot! I'm not going to describe what we are building because I would fail miserably and it gives me the opportunity to do a pictorial diary/blog.....so watch this space. To say we're happy 'little vegemites' at this time would be an understatement!!!

New old thing

I have started playing double bass again........new because it like re-learning and old because I used to play many, many moons ago.

I have hired a bass and joined the Albany Sinfonia....had my first playing rehearsal tonight and I went alright.....well I think I did...:-)

Sore fingers now.....and sheet music filling my waking moments.....shit Bolero sucks for bass players!!!!!

This should prove interesting.....and fun!!

It's out with the old......

Well here we are in a new year.....

Last year had both good and bad for us......we bought a beautiful block of land, I replaced my aging ute, I finally overcame (well partially at least!!) my fear of flying taking a much needed holiday in Bali and most importantly we welcomed the arrival of the newest edition to the extended clan, 'N' in Nashville...:-). On the other side of the ledger we sadly lost 'eL's step father in September and a very close friend's father just before Christmas.

This year looks to be full of promise.....our place in Perth will shortly be on the market and as soon as it sells we hope to start on building here....on that beautiful 1.5 acre block....no neighbours, less noise and a brand new house....yay!! As an extra bonus the two idiots who were in charge at my work have transferred out and hopefully things there will return to some semblance of normality.

I think this will be an excellent year......and I hope the same for my readers too.

New toy........

After some saving and waiting I finally got my new 'toy'.......I do actually need it to knock the grass down and no I'm not using a push mower as one of you suggested!!! So here it is....red ones go faster!




















As you can see it came with a trailer and it has a nice dry and safe home in the sea container















There's plenty of grass to cut.....1.5 acres of the stuff!!




















This is what it looked like when I started


....and when I ran out of light......still over half an acre to do (and there's rain forecast for tomorrow!!)








It was huge fun though.......:-)

I love power tools (more power!!!)

Springtime means planting....

Today we decided to make our mark on the block and we did that by starting our planting of the deciduous forest and a privacy hedge

The weather was magnificent so we headed to our 'happy' place....Bunnings!!















Then it was off to the block for a spot of digging......Lynne, of course, supervising



















Abby decided to help (???) in her own special way



















But we did finally get a tree into that hole.....followed by another one of the same size.....(they're both Liquid Ambers)


















Then we started planting the 'tube-stock' plants which will be a privacy hedge. These are all local native plants (Hakea, Grevillia, Banksia and Bottlebrush). The hedge is to block out the road along the side of the block. Yes there are plants there you just need to look hard!! The wire is to stop the kangaroos and rabbits from eating the small plants......yes we have 'roos....I saw two the other morning...:-)














We still have a heap more plants to buy and plant but you have to start somewhere! This is fun!!!

Next phase.......

We are moving into the next phase of life......it will be interesting, exciting and probably frustrating at times too!

As my avid readers (yes all three of you!!) will know we have bought ourselves our own little piece of land in rural West Oz (Australia...not the Dorothy and TinMan place!). Yesterday we made our mark on it by building a cross-over from the road to give us access. There's a shallow roadside drain along the front of the land which was just going to trap any cars trying to drive into the property (I wasn't going to get bogged on my own land for a start!)

It took 5 cubic metres of gravel, a lot of shoveling and a compactor but it turned out pretty good considering my past construction disasters

















Once that was finished and tested (!!!) we had a sea container delivered

















Followed by some sanding

















Next we have to start on the planting of our deciduous forest, orchard and vegie garden. After that comes the really difficult bit.....choosing/designing a house!!!

This will be our view (minus the container which will be behind the house with a large 'man cave' (garage...:-)) next to it.


Isn't winter down here bloody awful....:-)

I'm still here!!!

I got bored with my last blog template so here's my new choice.....it may stay or not!!

It's nearly time.....to ride!!

Well I'm now a week away from riding across Australia....on my motorbike!!

It's all in a good cause (Princess Margaret Hospital) and I'm getting excited...:-)

The bike has new tyres and has been serviced. I have my bike luggage (panniers, seat bag), a swag and all the necessaries......I hope.

All I need to do is pack and be ready to leave by Saturday 11/09/2010.

Wish me luck.............

Another life experience.......not good but useful!!

On Tuesday morning we went out to breakfast. At a little cafe in Albany that serves excellent french toast and the like.

We were there about 10 minutes, had ordered our food and just got our coffees (iced for me of course) when I started to feel a bit off colour. I got a strange pain in between my shoulder blades and then started to feel sweaty and clammy. Then I got dizzy....very dizzy.

I told 'eL' that we needed to go as I felt crook and she went to sort out the bill and cancel the food. I went outside for some air and then I started to feel really ill. The pain in my back wasn't very bad but I was now feeling nauseous and in serious danger of passing out. I made it to the car and sat in the passenger side. When 'eL' arrived I was worried and told her to take me to hospital....now!

We got there in about 3 or 4 minutes during which I lay flat on my back with my feet on the dash (naughty I know but at least I didn't pass out). I was able to stand an walk in to ED where the triage nurse took one look at me and said "you'd better come straight through". Good service but that made me very worried!! I lay on a bed in a cubical and had a couple of nurses arrive within seconds......pads stuck all over me and connected to an ECG.....I don't even remember taking my shirt off but there you go! The nurse nearest me asked how I was feeling and I said "not good"....I obviously looked pretty bad too because she the said those scary words "just quietly I think your having a heart attack!".....to which I said "I was afraid of that". She kept asking another nurse where the doctor was.....well that was comforting....NOT! Then a nurse started looking for a vein in my hand or wrist but was told "no, further up, we need a big one". I started to feel cold and told the first nurse who said to another nurse "get the thing" and then had to add "the defib!". Oh bugger.....I don't like this......I'm now progressing nicely from scared to abject terror So the nurse jams this bloody great needle into my arm and the other one starts the ECG. The doctor arrives and introduces himself......then he looks at the ECG and says....."well that's alright, he's not having a heart attack".

Well......that's alright then....hang on.....everyone seemed to think I was....including me! Then I realised he had said I'm not having a heart attack....okay back to just worried now....in fact relieved.....no bloody relieved!!

I said to the doctor and nurses how stupid I now felt.....they all looked at me strangely and a nurse said....."it would have only been stupid if you ignored it and it was a heart attack!" Okay....point well made!

So after all that I spent a couple of hours lying in ED interrupted occasionally by x-rays, blood tests (well they did put that bloody big needle in, might as well use it!), etc.....the final conclusion a vaso-vagal fit or spasm! So nothing really......and we missed breakfast too! Then I got to go home. Thankfully.....

What did I learn.......well firstly trust your instincts....if you feel really bad go to hospital. Secondly....don't be afraid to tell your nearest and dearest when you think something is very wrong....none of the silent brave crap....it can get you killed. Be grateful that your job taught you advanced first aid....signs and symptoms of heart attack!!! (well mine did anyway:-)).

It also made me think about diet, exercise and relaxing........I need to concentrate on all of them more.....no point having a scare and not getting a benefit out of it!

That was my Tuesday................I can laugh about it now......well a little....maybe......

Long time since my last...........

Well it's been a bloody long time between drinks as they say!

I realised a while back that I had taken to venting (whinging!) in most of my posts......BOOOORRIIIIINNGG!!!! So I thought it was time to point out the good stuff....the things I am grateful for....:-)

First and most important.....my wonderful wife! She makes me smile and keeps me sane.....plus she puts up with my mood swings and general negativity on occasions. She is the best!!!

Secondly my health.....which is pretty good despite the way I eat and my lack of exercise....:-)

Thirdly my siblings....you know who you are!! My brother with his cool wife and three wacky (in a good way) kids, my sister (who's just survived her first birth) with her health crazy husband and her sweet new son Nicholas (what lungs man!!) and the youngest, most recently married brother with his wonderful wife. You guys are a cool bunch and we seemed to have turned out all right.....well mostly...:-)

Then there's the day to day stuff.....I have a well paid job (some may not necessarily agreed) which allows me to see some of the most hilarious, bizarre and unexpected stuff everyday....who else can say that? The place we live is comfortable and very, very picturesque......in fact a place I think I could stay at if things worked out the right way....who knows. The house we have is large and very comfortable. We have two completely mad rescue dogs that we love dearly and who amuse us infinitely.....:-) The weather here for the most part is also pretty good......not to hot or cold.....and enough rain to keep it green.

Lastly I have my bike....my cool retro Triumph Bonneville T100.....which I just love riding.......freedom, speed and the open air....plus a bit of adrenalin...:-)

So there you have it......plenty of good stuff.....no more venting....maybe...:-)

Robot persona..........

This is apparently my robot persona

Get Your Cyborg Name

Someday's life form could be considered a stretch!!!

Memories.......

My grandmothers (nanna) house was sold this past week.....she died in January at 98 years of age! It got me thinking about my childhood and memories of her and her house.

My strongest memory was of the mantle clock that sat over her fireplace ticking away like a steady heartbeat......I guess I was lucky because I now have the clock as a memory of her....

The back yard where Odyssey my brother and I used to play on visits.....climbing the big old fig tree, eating grapes from the vine and plums from the tree.....it always seemed to be summer!

I remember us having family Christmas there and dressing up for family photo's.....and Nanna was always very proud of her garden......with good reason. She had a very green thumb!

It's funny what comes back to mind........

Angry!!!!

Angry, angry, angry, angry!!!!!

I'm not going to play that game any more!!!

I've spent too many years trying to be to be the peacemaker and I won't walk on eggshells any more.

Time marches on.......

It's taken me a long time to get past my last post......they say time heals old wounds...well I'm at the 'big red throbbing scars' stage at the moment and those images kept me away from my blog.

Time has moved on and even though I clearly haven't it's time to update those that read this scrawl.....

My youngest sibling is now a 'married man' and very happily so.....we are all very pleased even though 'eL' and I missed the actual event.....again sorry bro!

We have been in Albany for 15 months now.....geez time flies! It has now become clear that we will be heading back to Perth next year, work and circumstances permitting!! Albany is wonderful and the scenery is spectacular but a new boss and a new big boss have made the work environment less pleasing....sadly! It was a good call at the beginning so no complaints. Anyway we are both starting to miss Perth.

'eL' has been studying and generally enjoying life. We've even got out and about on the mighty Triumph of late......now she wants one!! We have also registered to foster RSPCA dogs but unfortunately the first one was re-homed before it even arrived. We're still waiting....!!!

I keep reminding myself that we are pretty lucky (work aside) and the world financial crisis has had little impact on us personally......plenty to smile about and no real complaints when you think about it....:-)

See Ya Mate!!

It really hurts.............

Am I a nerd?

Well I tried a quiz and here is the result






Hmmmm?

Is that me?

Click on it to find out about you!

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!

:-)