Bower Power!

We've been watching the Bower Birds doing their thing for some time, but this week the craziest antic was a bird who took a fancy to half of a red, plastic bucket which I was using as a camera cover. The short film is here: http://youtu.be/c_BB94WcLl0.

Low Flying Surprise

While sitting on the veranda munching on breakfast we were surprised to see a White Breasted Sea Eagle zooming down the road. A flock of Cockatoos drew our attention to the eagle which, after landing a a tree, was mobbed by the local Magpie Mafia.

  

Sunken Dreams

A few local boaties bought an old, wooden sailing boat; an ex-salt trader from Portugal ca. 1950. That was several year ago and, sadly, nothing was done by way of maintenance. Hence, the inevitable demise of what was an expensive hole-in-the-ocean. The only things left of their dream of operating a historic tourist sailing boat is the threat of diesel pollution and a massive bill for a heavy lift crane to pluck the corpse from it's watery grave.

Japan And Somewhere New - South Korea

Our good fortune takes us to Japan again; both going and coming. We decided to visit Shikoku which gives us another chance to experience Shinkansen travel again.

After deep deliberation, Zen style, I chose Takamatsu and Tokushima as our bases in Shikoku. Both places give easy access to splendid temples, parks and a further chance to use our JR passes.

On the way back to Ozerland we plan to fly to Seoul for a week of kimchi soaked kulture; QANTAS FF points making a JAL flight possible. If the information we have read so far is correct, wandering around Seoul will wear our soles down to the uppers ...

Bower Birds

We seem to have a few Satin Bower Birds (Ptilinorhynchus violaceus) in the garden. Hopefully one of them will build a bower ...

For a video of them doing their thing click here.

Decisions, Decisions ... Time To Pay ... Today

After much cud-chewing, hourly ear-bashing and finger-sore webbing, it's time to cough up the clams and choose an airline. I don't want you to think we're creatures of habit; mindless lemmings following a Disney migratory route to greener pastures where we engage in tribal ritual or mystic, predawn Masonic mumbo jumbo. No. No. No. Yes, we are choosing JAL - again ...

Korean Air came very close, but got the silver. After a great deal of Seoul searching we decided to to pay the extra small bucket of clams and continue to pander to our indulgent egos. So we're Tokyo bound in mid May - fingers crossed ...

English Summer Oz Style

What a strange summer - wet,windy and the odd sunny day. No. Not the UK. I'm talking about The Bay this year. Walking is a pleasant pastime in these temperate conditions - what a joy not to be fried to a crisp!

Our friends at The Bakehouse cafe are always a reliable source of coffee and cakes so that a brisk walk to town has both excellent estuarine views and the promise of tasty refreshment. The excuse is acceptable - it keeps us fit ...

Where? What? Who? When?

Those are good questions which the planning committee are trying to resolve. It's not really a question of dosh or  self-imposed time lines; cultural tastes seldom are.

Japan will be part of the jolly; Shikoku being the main area of interest to start with. A couple of nights in Tokyo and then the shinkansen down to Okayama followed by JR trains to Takamatsu and beyond. Swanning around the island for a week and then the reverse trip back to Tokyo and then, up-and-away on to Europe.

Europe probably means stopping in Paris for a few days and then taking a week or two to rail around Normandy, Picardy and Nord pas de Calais, taking a squiz at some of the many historic sites and galleries; cafes and patisseries are without number, so that we will have to exercise great constraint is we are to travel at all. The list of places, so far, includes: Caen and Bayeux, Rouen, Amiens, Laon or Lille; with day trips from Paris to the obvious Big V. Note: we will not be visiting any War Graves.

The Eurostar from Paris or Lille to London seems to be a good idea until you consider that the Olympics are in London this year. We may try to fly to a northern airport even if it means going to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris to fly to the UK and avoid London.

Sheffield seems to beckon again for all the good reasons of last and other years. That depends upon the availability of an apartment; that we will find out about a month before we leave ...

When to leave ... May?

Coming back? The reverse flights are the favoured option, but the there may be a desire to visit Korea on the way ...

Summer? Nah, It Must Be Autumn.

Just to let you know that the summer here in Oz is really a late Oz autumn replay. Cold, wind, rain and the odd day of sunshine al la a British summer. To be honest, I like it! The over-sold, blistering summer normally touted for these shores is only good for producing Lobsters; that's over cooked tourists who have the desire to sear their flesh to get that reptilian molt effect which is so flattering.

Long may it remain so ....

Mower Mania!

One of the annoying things about living in Ozerland is the mania for mowing grass, lawn is too grand a notion. The act of mowing isn't the problem. Its the obsession with motor mowers and the chronic desire to cut the grass down to the roots. This activity must be done at some ungodly hour in the morning; probably due to a the misconception that the sun may rise to levels that sear the flesh down to the bone before 9am. The manic activity is not confined to those of retirement age who have noting better to do with their time. Better still if the mower is supercharged with designer, mega decibel exhaust and go-fast stripes.

I was woken this morning by some half-wit next door and, had I possessed the necessary equipment, would have been delighted to hasten her passage across the Styx and payed Charon handsomely.

It was a comfort to find out that a I was not the only crusty to object to such a rude incursion into my territory ...

Travel Videos - Done And Dusted

That really is a wrap. So drop into my Youtube site if you want to spend hours seeing what we've seen ...

Hope you enjoy what you see

Loading Up For The Season

Tis the time to

Deck the roofs with boughs of razor wire, 

Reindeer traps and Claymore mines. 

Tis the season for Santa hunting, 

Rudolf pie and mulled red wine. 

Fa la la la la, la la la la,

Happy hunting campers!

Cut, Cut, Cut and It's A Wrap ... Nearly ...

After a mammoth series of editing session I've come to the end of my tether ... sorry, that's tapes. Time to leave the computer to chew away for hours digesting the finished footage into DVDs. I don't have blue teeth and don't expect to change my dentition for some time ...

Horsetrailier wise all is same of the same ... except ... the summer goblins have gone on strike. Cold, windy and much downward trending water seems to dominate the meteorological soothsaying. It must be the new carbon tax ...

It'll soon be That Time again. Time to take the Humbug pills and board up the chimney; time to reflect of the behavior of the herd; time to say at home, doors bolted and curtains drawn. Need I say more?

Weeds, Wet and Windy

Back at the kennel the weeds are rife and the weather, on-again, off-again, rain and wind. Not to worry the 'fridge is full and there's plenty of film to edit.

Local fauna are a delight as usual; there is nothing as rowdy as Oz birds at daybreak. The lizards are up and about when the sun decides to show its more radiant face. Mr Blue Tongue came out to greet us which frightened the daylights out of the Memsahib. This especially since our friend down the road found a four foot python slithering its way around the wood-fire chimney pipe in her kitchen. The snake went on to the work bench top in the kitchen before the stalwarts from the local zoo turned up to remove the beast. Because the animals are territorial they only took it down the road to a small pond where they thought it had come from. The best part of the story was that the zoo stalwarts told our friend to, "Grab it by the tail and drag it outside". No chance!

Here is Mr Blue Tongue:

Back To The Colonies

After two splendid rest days in Narita we find ourselves back in the Colonies again - for a short while. We were greeted by a massive thunderstorm which meant that today was the wettest we've seen for six months ...

So time has come to ... set up all that needs to be set up so that life can go one as before ... that also includes:

Making the next set of travel plans and bookings ...

now where will that be?

Millers' Dale and Turkey Dinner

An afternoon walking and looking for fossils at an old quarry in Millers' Dale. The massive lime kilns added some interest; their size alone testament to industrial activity of the area - up to 1944. Remnants of the railway station still remain. The Victorians certainly didn't have any belief in OH&S or Green Industry.







Back at the cottage we feasted on a roast turkey dinner followed my mince pies; an early Christmas dinner with friends. Excellent ...

Mill Pond, Meadows, Streams and Cottage Teas

After a very dull start to the day the weather cleared and, despite a cool wind, provided just the right condition for a walk in North Lees Estate. Transport, as per, was the trusty 272 to Hathersage - don't you love regular public transport ...

After a more than ample lunch, we took a leisurely walk past the Mill Pond and on to a walled field. The field was surrounded by small woods. We sat against the wall and under the Oak and Birch trees. Such an peaceful setting always leads to the discussion of all manner of problems and this time was no exception. The world sorted, we returned to the Mill Pond, where we met the boys who, after a couple of hours working sheep, decided to demonstrate their diving and swimming ability ...

"Stand back they're going to shake themselves!"



Aquatics done, we walks across the Warren, site of an Romano-British settlement (not excavated yet ...), and down the tracks leading back to the cottage.

Tea, cake and conversation finished an excellent afternoon. Simple ...

Drawn Into The Gallery ... Again.

What a delight to be able to jump on a bus and attend a Life Drawing session at the Millennium Gallery every Friday. Tim Rose directed the session.

Lunch was at the New Deli in Tottley - no, it wasn't an Indian cafe no matter how punny it sounds.

Public transport is excellent in Sheffield - that adds to the pleasure of being here.

Lincoln By Train - Again

A few days in Lincolnshire were our last visit to the home county for another year. Say what you like, the presence of the university students has brought the breath of activity to the place. We now look at the city with different eyes to those of our youth. Lincoln is an excellent old city just as pleasant and interesting as any you would find in France.

Weather wise, we were treated to clear blue skies and bitter cold winds - Lincolnshire Autumn.