May they rest in peace...

This post is going to be a sombre one. As you may, or may not have heard, South Eastern Australia (mainly Victoria) is suffering from some of the most horrific bush fires ever seen. Already, 173 people have lost their lives trying to stay safe within their houses. It is not just houses lost in the fire storms, but whole communities, community buildings and in some cases even the local fire station AND police stations have been lost.

Some of the stories on the local news have been graphic in the content, inspiring in the communities desperately trying to stay strong and supportive (even though those helping others have lost EVERYTHING themselves), but far worse is the absolute disgust I have for the people who intentionally started these fires. Almost half of Victoria is now considered a crime scene, and people are still in the houses that were destroyed.

Here are a few news site recounting the stories.

Daily Telegraph

Victorian bushfire death toll soars still higher

Rain a Catch-22 for fireys

No escape from the Valley of Death

Sydney Morning Herald

New bushfire threat flares

Toll rises as villages reveal their dead

The Age

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Summer in Australia: - A bit of a 'catch up'

I had this sent to me today in an email, and thought that I would share it all with you (since we have been having a rather extended heat wave...):

Mr Whippy

Even though it has been hot, we are expecting even hotter weather this coming weekend, 42-44c, so I do hope that this will not happen in reality!
With the current water restrictions (Wed & Sun: - Before 10am and after 4pm) in place, coupled with this current hot dry season we are having, both at work and in the suburbs it is very dry (not to mention in the country and our farmers). Over the Christmas break, we ripped out our first season veges of Tomatoes, and replanted with some fresh stock. Whilst seedlings went in which were about 5cm tall, in the 2-3 weeks that they have been in, they are now nearly 40cm! Must be all that yummy Chook pooh I put into the vege patch whilst it laid fallow! Macc wanted to help with the vege patch (Tomatoes, Basil, Capsicum or Peppers and some Chives + Rhubarb) by turning over a small patch. Well, a small area that he wanted to bury his belated Christmas bone... The Ham bone! I was soooo angry with him, and he knew it, as he went off to the garage and tried to hide as soon as he saw it was me at home!!!
We also had the opportunity of finishing off insulating the house. We had some left over insulation from when we did the laundry (here, here, especially here, here, here, here, here & here) so it got used as a 'lining' of the upstairs study walls (in the roof space) and an additional bag of batts went into the area above the dining room, previously not accessible. Yesterday, the study was actually not to bad, heat wise, although a little stuffy from there being only the one window and not allowing the delightful breeze to pass through. but it WAS cooler!
Last week also saw the Diamond Princess arrive in Sydney. She is a very loooooong cruise liner indeed, not to mention BIG!

Diamond Princess Circular Quay

This was actually a photo I 'stitched' together from two photos. The following photo, I used a Circular Polarising Lens, which intensifies the blues and greens slightly... It gives it a somewhat dramatic style to it!

Diamond Princess: - Circular Quay

And that's life in Sydney, during Summer, for the moment...
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Get Well Soon nieghbour...

Recently, a neighbour of ours was diagnosed with cancer, Breast Cancer. This was just before Christmas (great timing hey...) and in the interim, she had been assessing various treatment options mainly for reconstructive surgery. She had three options available, and chose a suitable option for her, and her family.

Today, was a day of reflection and prayers as she went into surgery to have her breast, her femininity, removed. Under the surgery, she will also be having a prosthetic inserted and over the coming months, will be filled (and stretched) with saline, via a valve. I sent an SMS to her husband around 4pm, thinking it should be all over, but she was still in surgery after going in at 8.30am!

Fortunately, for her, she will not require any radiotherapy or chemotherapy, so she will maintain her head of hair...

L&D, wishing you a speedy recovery and that you are in our thoughts and prayers...

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Throw Out Time: - Let the 'fun' begin...

Today, and yesterday for L, is being set aside to 'clean out' the in-laws... Only trouble is, that yesterday it was in the very high 30's (38 from memory) and today, it is like already 40C!

But, there has already been a lot done, you can now see at least three of the four walls in the first bedroom! More will come, paintings have been taken to the last sister down, we took BOTH cars full of box's home, and there is still a LOT more to go!

So, I can't stay on here to long, I might get into trouble, as I am listing a lot of things on eBay for the FIL in his new account. Set him up on the net through this last week, and within a day or two, he has an eBay account, where he has also made his first purchase and is already searching for books He had better NOT collect to much after we de-clutter the house!!!

Cheers for now, its hot and I will be going for a quick swim to cool down and start listing on eBay.

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Clipped wings and flights of fancy... (and some other stuff as well...)

Being summer and all, we have been somewhat busy, so sorry for the sporadic posts...
Last week, we finally had our ISP changed over from Virgin Broadband... Now, whilst this is an incredible service, when it is running, it was more often than not, slower than dial up! We tried installing an external antenna (which gave us some respite and additional speed), but then it started to slow down again! It even got to the point where, if on the net and a phone call came in, the modem would go 'on-hold' whilst the phone was in use, and sometimes the phone would even drop out!
Anyway, I digress, we now have a super fast Internet connection and a return to a 'landline'! Happy as a 'pig-in-mud'!
We have also been busy in and around the house as well. I have been asked (and repeatedly asked...) to hang some hooks in the recently renovated bathroom. It is not that I was trying to get out of it, but there were two bits of timber that we had to choose from! I wanted a slightly fancy version, whilst L was looking at a plain piece. The piece that had a bit of trimming about it, was from an old dressing table that the FIL had and I thought that, with a bit of trimming here and there, it could be used. It was!

Bathroom Hooks

Bathroom Hooks

Bathroom Hook

And then today, we were pottering around the house not doing much, went off to get L's car detailed as she gets a new one tomorrow, and she also got a pedi and a manicure! I hung the hooks as mentioned, and then we went into the 2nd bedroom and started hanging some of the pictures. I had to find the staple gun mind you, so we got started. All 'pictures' were hung and it was only left to the plaster wall vent L purchased for an 'art work'! It was a scene of some branches and a couple of birds sitting upon them. After putting some hooks in and then gluing them... they did not want hold tight, so I got another style and glued it on. All hung and it was looking good. Until... the hook came off and the plaster vent shattered! It was agreed that in, the unlikely event of it falling, there would be NO tears, right! So out came the vacuum (again) and mess all cleaned up until a replacement vintage bird was hung... Alas, a broken flight (down to the floor) ended in it being in more than one piece! Luckily enough though, there was a smaller one to be found...

Crafty Wall Hangings

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Out with the old and in with the new...

Three and a half years ago, we purchased our FIRST laptop. It was a Samsung X20. We took it everywhere with us, New Zealand twice, Bali as well as to Brisbane, Melbourne etc... It was a sturdy little thing, but alas, it had been slowly failing... There was the odd 'crunch' under a couple of keys, a couple of start-up failures and program 'hiccups' but enough was enough when, looking at websites, the up and down arrows did not want to work, the mouse pad was becoming eratic and it was generally becoming slow!

So, on Sunday (before going to see Benjamin Button) we went and looked at a couple more laptops. Guess what, we found one that was fairly well spec'd up, in our price range AND looked pretty flash (L really liked it...)! But, you will have to wait until tomorrow (Wordless Wednesday & Thematic Photographic) to have a look!

With this, and a 'gift' from our phone prividor, we will have a very wireless home! I will be able to shift music from PC to xBox 360 and vic-versa, I already surf the net wirelessly and we are also able to get on the net, go to the TV guide and tell our TiVo to record a show if we are out!!! I do love technology!!!

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Syzygium moorei

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NYE 2008: Let it all begin!

Here are a couple of shots I took this morning whilst waiting for the gates to open:

Last minute mowing

Everything ready

Art Gallery Line

Line waiting

First through

Interview & rolling

Loaded

Not to sure what he has in his pack, but he must have friends coming along! The line for coming in is almost 1klm long now, and it is still quite early, and the site will accomodate 20,000 people. Lets see if we hit that target!

Cubby rebuild...

Over the last couple of months, the cubby has been getting much more of a lean... It was about to fall over! So, I tried to take the roof off to brace it up a little, but as I touched it, I quickly found out that if I was to try and lift it off, the whole house would simply fall! The previous owner of the house, had a little girl, and I think it may have been a rush job to build it many years ago, as some of the joints were... well... not that good!

So on the weekend Christmas break, we dismantled it, and I built two new side wall frames. The back yard looked as though a cyclone (tornado) had gone through it!

Cubby 30122008

Cubby II 30122008

Cubby III 30122008

We also did a 'new' floor, as the old one was just chipboard on a couple of bricks! Great for ALL sorts of bugs and stuff when kids are inside!!!

Cubby Floor 30122008

Now, yesterday afternoon, frames were finished and the rear cladding was nailed on. Right hand side cladding and window were also installed and then the cubby was placed onto the new floor. Whilst L was off getting dinner (it was too hot to cook anything, and that is a story in it's own right that I will tell you later...) the cladding and window were completed on the left hand side.

Now, as I said, it was rather hot and as I was busy, L said that she will do dinner, But as it was hot, we were busy so she decided to go to Alpacino's Pizza & Pasta house nearby. She left and dodged her way through traffic at a nearby intersection where a motorcyclist had an accident and later died. When she got to Alpacino's, it was closed! She left and then called me and it was decided to go to the local Lebanese bakery, where they have the BEST, woodfired pizza's. Sounds good? NUP, it was closed as well!!!!

By this time, somewhat deflated, she came home and defrosted some stir-fry beef, cracked open a bottle of Vietnamese sauce and cooked some rice. What a disaster! This dinner was so hot (spice), she could barely eat it! I had one bit of the beef and some rice, and I swear that it took off the lining of my mouth!

So, here I am, at work on New Years Eve (NYE). Outside it is a lovely day, where we are expecting a top in the city of around 30 degrees C. Our site is one of (if not THE best) the best sites for the NYE fireworks. Fencing has gone in and will not reopen until 10am. There is already thousands of people out there waiting. These are mainly backpackers (UK and USA to name a couple), and have already started drinking as grog is not allowed inside. It is not even 9am! We will be at home tonight, with family, having a BBQ, enjoying the spa and having a game or two on either the xbox or the PS2.

Your turn: What are your plans to see in 2009? Have you made a resolution yet, and will you?

Have a great night everyone, and stay safe. See you in 2009!

Enjoying the summer after Christmas!

Boy, am I glad that Christmas is over for another year... Since, mind you, we have been sort of 'flat out'! With doing things around the house, and L having a bout of the Summer Flu! We have been enjoying some rather warm weather with afternoon thunderstorms (one now actually, stopping work on the cubby-house). I do not really mind this however, as it allows me to watch the second test, Australia v Sth Africa in the Cricket!!!
But, I just thought I would share some shots of what our Christmas day entailed...

Christmas Table 2008 II

Christmas Table

Rosie, seemed as though she was a little 'confused' as to what was happening, but she did like her Santa's hat:

Santa's lil helper

Both Max and Will got Chef's hat's and Max (being the photogenic person he is by always jumping into a shot...) was willing to show his hat off. But as it was late in the day (a very long day for the boys), Will was a little more camera shy:

The mad chef

I can't remember what Rosie got for her Christmas present, but what ever it was, it must have been good (given both mum and dad have the same facial expression):

WOW