Whew!!!

We're home...........safely!

More soon.

My Pirate name!!!!!

It should be Jolly Roger but it's

My pirate name is:

Dirty Roger Flint

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

How did they know of my family conection to "mouthful of pancakes"

Blogging from Sea....The Summary!!!

As promised I have finally found a computer to upload some pictures of the cruise leg of the trip.....

So here goes......

Shanghai at night

Us on the Great Wall of China

The 'opening ceremony' stadium for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008

Hand painted ceramics in Arita, Japan

The Peace Park (Ground Zero) in Nagasaki, Japan

Avacha volcano in Petropavlovsk, Russia

Our first of many Bald Eagles

The Hubbard Glacier and ice filled bay!!

And, finally, for now...... the happy Sea Otters

There are obviously way too many to upload....but you get the drift....and it's only half over

Blogging at sea....Part 6

Well we've just left Sitka, Alaska and I need to upload the photo's.........the problem being the very slow and congested internet bandwidth from this ship

So....let's just say it was unbelievable and the photo's will follow in the next episode.......

Blogging at sea.....Part 5

We have moved on to Alaska now and the scenery is getting more spectacular by the hour.....I think I could live here although I admit I haven't experienced a winter.....

We have seen all kinds of wildlife....bald eagles, puffins, whales....(well sort of!) and way too many stuffed and mounted Kodiak bears. Why does man feel the need to hunt and kill animals that are just trying to live life.......I don't care what people say it's not sport and it's completely unnecessary...if you want to prove you're a man try killing a grizzly bear with a penknife......even the odds a bit you gutless creatures.

Enough venting!!

We should be at Hubbard Glacier in the morning so there should be many photo's taken.........which I will upload if the nanna's on board stop choking the satellite feed with emails to their pension fund managers, stock brokers and the 'folks back home'....geez!

We still have moderate to rough seas of 2.5 to 4 metres and the temperature is a balmy 5.7 degrees celcius.........waaaarrrrrmm! We still love this cruising.......it beats flying in all aspects.....forget about time taken:-)

Blogging at sea.....Part 4

Well we're back at sea today after visiting Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsular.....that's Russia kiddies!!!

We spent yesterday afternoon in the city after waiting for 4 hours to be cleared from the ship by the 'local authorities'.......even China was quicker than that.....and than we discover what a DISMAL AND SOULLESS HOLE this place is....the only cultural buildings in town were closed for renovation/demolition....you couldn't tell which! This is the base for the Russian Pacific Fishing Fleet and there is supposed to be money flooding into the city but we couldn't see it.....unless it all goes on vodka, beer and cigarettes. Even the nicer cars were all coated with the local commodity.....coal grit.....hmmmm pretty. We went into several local businesses and the staff all ignored us completely....served everyone around us. We walked out with 'eL' saying:- "Remember ...you have to live here!" and headed back to our 6 square meals a day.

It sounds like a typical cultural cringe but we always try to enjoy whatever experiences our travels bring.......but not in this town....we should have liked the fact that they have volcanos and fossils...our two favourite things but you can't see them without visas and special escorts...which the 'local authorities' weren't about to supply. This is the volcano...as seen from the ship in harbour......

Happy birthday to Mouthful of Pancakes for soon.......reply to my emails you lazy girl!!!

Off to Alaska next...to be continued............

Blogging at sea....Part 3

Well now it's getting interesting.......we're travelling north east along the Kurile Islands in the North Pacific Ocean......yes 'mouthful of pancakes' its volcano country!!!! Well it is but we can't see them because we've had two days solid of low pressure......which means cloud, fog and high seas!!!!

At the moment we have 4 metre swells, 0 degrees celcius and some snow!!!!

Lots of cabins are occupied and have the 'do not disturb' signs out........feeling a little green are we???? Well we sure as hell aren't...we've just been to afternoon tea and it's a formal dinner tonight........it looks like the sailing in the Whitsundays a many years ago may have attuned us to the 'motion of the ocean' as our teutonic captain calls it.....from the "beautiful and elegant...Staten...dam!!!"

Blogging at sea....Part 2

Well we've finished with China and South Korea and moved onto Japan. Nagasaki came as a very clean and orderly surprise after CHina. Everything was very organised and efficient. We went to a smaller village called Arita to see how these guys make porcelain....and they're really good at it too!! Osaka was next and an awesome day...we went shopping and did the aquarium which was just huge....it even has a whale shark like the ones off Western Australia....bloody huge!!!

We then moved onto Tokyo.......OMG.........we landed in Ginza and then took the subway to Asakusa to see the Sensoji Temple and markets....yes we shopped!! It is truely an amazing city

Today we're at sea and relaxing.......tomorrow is a smaller city (yeah right!!!...this is Japan!) called Hakodate....time to absorb some more culture.

We love this cruising!!!!!!!!!

Blogging at sea...!!!

I have to be quick because the internet costs on a ship are extreme.......but how cool is this....I'm blogging at sea. In the Yellow Sea to be precise....having just left Xingang the port of Beijing and after visiting Hong Kong (awesome shopping), Xiamen (dirty but great shopping), Shanghai (huge, f**king enormous, great shopping) and now heading for Dalian...does anyone see the pattern here!

Have been on the Great Wall, in a Ming Tomb, in the Bund.....this is amazing. Now I'm writing about it at sea after a fabulous dinner (silver service) and it's only cost an arm and a leg....that's why we work I guess.

Odyssey and The Goose I've emailed and if you want to reply check the sending address....it should be hotmail. Mouthful of pancake you're not forgotten but I have to go because these computers are sought after by angry pensioners wanting to check their stocks and bonds.....I'm being intimidated as we speak.

Trivia to end....what is the statue of liberty called???? Odyssey, you should get this one easily...

Bloggial Pursuit.........

Okay then.....if we're going to play then I've got one for you before we go...

And in keeping with the musical theme......

What animal is terrified, you could even say 'strung out', by string instruments?

I will be very disappointed if you get this wrong, especially you 'mouthful of pancakes'

On the road again........

Like my slightly younger sibling Odyssey I have been suffering from a bit of 'blog block'. Mine is due to several difficult weeks at work and the 'ups and downs' of planning and arranging our imminent holiday. The good news is

Five sleeps to go!!!!!!!

On Monday we take to the sky and head for Hong Kong.....where no doubt we will shop....well 'eL' will and I'll carry the bags. Then it's on to the high seas for some new experiences..... we can't wait.

Hopefully I'll visit from time to time for a display of photo's and the telling of tales

For Odyssey

An update for Odyssey......



aaaaaarrggghhhhh........................................

Dim Sum....!!!!

I don't really know how I have made it to 44 years old without trying the Chinese food banquet 'Dim Sum'....especially as we live in a multicultural country that is part of the Asian region. Today I finally immersed myself in Dim Sum lunch with 'L' or 'eL' as I'm now calling her (I'll explain that another time!) and some friends who had just escaped the cyclone ravaged areas of our state. It's impossible to explain the assault on the senses....it was noisy, chaotic and most of all delicious. We should have tried this years ago and we will be making up for lost time in the near future....fabulous!!!

I also have tried a new look for our upcoming holiday....easy care you might call it! I just hope I don't scare the nieces and nephew. Don't worry guys its just that creepy old Aussie uncle!!!!

BTW 5 weeks tomorrow.....woohoo!

Holiday.....

We're due for a holiday........both of us really need a break. I can tell I need a holiday because today I picked a fight with my boss.....four times and somehow walked away without penalty (not a wise move in law enforcement - senior officers don't like being told they are wrong or stupid! Yes I did both:-o)

We are going on holiday in April thankfully........I just have to get that far without opening my mouth once too often! It's promises to be a really good holiday and we'll get to see family who have moved away........We can't wait! We both need to get away from our jobs and become people again.

New places and different ways to get around....time to expand the mind and life experiences.

Must work on my patience and restraint.....only six weeks and four days to go...but who's counting!!!!

Star gazing......

I have a small telescope which I use from time to time.....looking at the Moon and Venus mostly.

The other night 'L' and I spent a very pleasant couple of hours on a lawn in front of a University of Western Australia building looking at parts of the cosmos through some very expensive telescopes.....we went to University Summer School and did an astronomy class. It was way cool!!!

We saw the Moon so closely that I'm sure I saw the glint of the the remains of the lunar landing module.....and the impact stress fractures radiating from the Tyco crater....amazing stuff! We saw Pleiades (the only stars mentioned in the Bible apparently) and the Orion Nebula.....now that's really cool!

Now I want a really big telescope to see everything I can........mmmmmm more money needed, must win Lotto!!!

Hot............

I know we live in the 'sunburnt' country but last weekend was bloody ridiculous..........three days over 42 degrees C (that's around 110F for any US readers) and that's too bloody hot. You could get sunburn indoors at that temperature.

The only good thing was that most of the Australia Day 'idiots' failed to make a showing during the celebrations....sadly the air-conditioning at work failed and wasn't fixed until yesterday which has been somewhat testing (it was 46 C in the building at 7.00 pm on Australia Day)....lots of people with access to firearms, capsicum spray and stun guns in a very bad mood is a recipe for disaster. It's a good thing it's cooled down today.

Unfortunately it's going to happen again in two days time.....over the weekend again so no gardening or outdoor renovations for this little pirate.........Aaaaaarrgh I may have to watch the cricket me hearties!!!! Bummer.......! Now where can I find a Kiwi to flog......the Poms are no challenge.

Exercise.........

I'm not one who finds any type of exercise enticing or appealing in any way......not a natural athlete by any stretch.

I got a new bike for Christmas.....from my better half (a gentle hint maybe?)

I have been cycling to and from work every day when possible and I try to manage about four times a week....I try anyway! I have found it quite enjoyable and it seems to be having a positive effect on my ample midriff....well I can see and feel a difference. At my age I know I need to take care of myself and that's what this is about.

At least the weather has been pretty good so far....some very hot days ahead unfortunately so we'll see how my enthusiasm and resolve cope. I must concentrate on the good aspects.

New Years Eve.........

Well......I survived and so did all my crew. No injuries and generally less trouble than previous years!

Then the real fun began........

I had been in bed at home for about 15 minutes when I was woken by banging on the front door and horrendous wailing. I couldn't imagine what was happening and I obviously had to deal with whatever it was. I opened the door to find a very drunk and distressed lady who was shouting something about being followed and harassed.......oh great I thought I'm going to have to confront a psychopath or rapist....just my luck! I headed out of the yard and found a neatly dressed young fellow standing in the driveway talking on his mobile phone....to police as it happened! He explained that this lady had run into his parked car several streets away, pushing it onto the footpath and after giving him a few different names she had tried to leave the crash scene before police arrived (remember she's pretty drunk!).

It was at this point I began to realise that he was not an offender but most likely the victim. I tried to talk to the lady who had started to shout at the young guy but she wasn't interested in calming down. When I told her that the police were coming she started to ramble about having a brother who was a policeman and she didn't care. I then realised that she was looking to leave so I identified myself as a police officer and suddenly I went from saviour to "arrogant c**t" to use her words. Fortunately the cavalry arrived and she was taken away and charged.........the young fellow was most grateful and then I got to go back to bed.................

Imagine having such a bad night that after getting drunk you run into a parked car on a well-lit street, give several obviously false names, try to do a runner and then end up knocking on the door of the house of the only policeman in the area in the hopes of getting away from the poor sod you ran into.....you wouldn't by a lottery ticket on the strength of that....would you!

I guess that's some of the justice I've been missing..............

A New Year.........

Well we got through Christmas and it went very well.....give or take. We ate and drank too much so now we have to work hard to get rid of those extra kilo's!

It's New Years Eve and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for work tonight.....not an easy task because we only see the 'bad' people. I have decided I need to balance my life by spending more time with decent people so I don't always think the worst of everyone....an occupational hazard I'm afraid......

Wish me luck for tonight.....hopefully no injuries to any of my crew and maybe for a change everyone will behave and just have fun........here's hoping!

To paraphrase the 'Bard' - "Once more unto the breech dear friends!"

Twas the night before Christmas....

Well it's the afternoon before really........we are wrapping presents and I'm about to cook a magnificent leg of pork (roast...!!!).

We are awash with food for tomorrow as we are doing Christmas lunch for immediate family......last minute decision but I think it will come together nicely. The roast will be interesting as I've never done one before.........fingers crossed!

I have mixed feelings about Christmas due to some recent 'turbulence' and I am hoping the day turns out to be fun......I will be making every effort and may be 'under the weather' for work on Boxing Day (who cares!!!)

For anyone who reads this on or around the day............."Happy Hanukkah....Merry Christmas.....Happy Non-denominational Festive Season" and most of all

"PEACE"