Before one blinks, it is already October. I really thought I had started this earlier but couldn’t find it on the PC so better start again, before I forget all the good bits. Excuse me while I scratch my head and try to remember what we did last Xmas. We came back a great short holiday in Fiji and I guess we did the normal feast with friends and family on Christmas Eve.
My work with COMCAR really dries up over the Summer break. The Government with its very slender majority rarely sits, to avoid defeats on votes. As our usual Easter digs were not going to be available this year at Easter, we had the Australia Day long weekend at Wombarra. As I usually get itchy feet down there, I rode my bike down there so I could go for day trips. The ride down was fun, via Macquarie Pass which I am getting better at. I stopped at the Historical Aviation Museum at Albion Park, just South of Wollongong. What a great place that is for the aviation enthusiast, run by volunteers with some wealthy benefactors throwing the odd bunch of cash their way. It was heating up and by the time I was ready to ride to Wombarra, it was scorching.
The highlight of the stay was watching the whales from our decking, make their way to the South. Feasts were had, swims were had. I thought I would ride to Sydney Airport for the day to watch planes. I got stuck in traffic jams and the temperature was soaring close to 40 C , no place to be on an exposed bike that wasn’t moving. Reluctantly turned back. The next day, I rode to Kiama, again very hot until I actually got to Kiama where the sea breeze did its job. Still, it was a relaxing long weekend and we all enjoyed it, including the 3 dogs. Got a bit wet on my ride back to Canberra.
I did lots on one-day road trips on the Beemer and the odd ride with the COMCAR Bikers crew, a more ornery bunch of misfits you would not find. That crew did an overnighter to the High Country, I think in February but a few of us rode with them to Thredbo, where we had lunch and turned around. The roads around Thredbo are magnificent for Motorbikes, I will do that again come the warmer months. I did a longer ride across the top, to Cooma, Kiandra across to Tumut and Gundagai and then home via the Hume Highway via Yass – Great day and magnificent scenery over the 500km.
As mentioned before, our regular Easter spot was being used by the owners so we hunted around for another spot. Very hard to find places that allow dogs. We found a place, close to Wombarra at Bulli. It was a bit of McMansion, comfortable but surrounded by similar homes and a 5 minute walk to the beach. Modern Home yes, but as comfortable as one is with one’s partner, call me old fashioned but I like doors to ensuites and no louvred windows back into the bedroom from said ensuite. Parking was bit tight and I had to leave my bike on the driveway in front of our 2 cars. It did have nice big balconies but the view was nothing like we were used to. Interesting when I left to ride home at 7:00 am to avoid the Easter traffic, I was breathalysed by the Police on Picton Road.
Was selected to take part in the COMCAR Caprice replacement short-listing exercise. Now, there was a bit of fun – we are still waiting to sign off on the exercise. But for me, one of the highlights was going out to the Australian Federal Police Driver Training ground at Majura where the AFP Driver instructors were giving the cars the once over. I am proud to say that on one of the obstacle courses which involved coming out of a Witches Hat marked garage, doing a slalom through Witches Hats followed by a tight 180 degree hairpin, more slalom, then into another garage – then flicking the car into Reverse and doing the whole thing backwards; my AFP Driving Instructor who does this for a living, did the course in 1 minute & 6 seconds whilst I did it in 1 minute 14 seconds on my 3rd go, which I was really chuffed with.
Had another interesting day at the same complex where we helped the AFP with their Protected Vehicle Driving Course. Play roled as terrorists and paint-balled the convoys of cars. Did my own Protected Driving Training Course, run by the same people who train the AFP Driver Instructors. Very intense and I have to say, I came home exhausted after each day’s training but I am now qualified to drive Head’s of State and other VIPs on visits. Hope to soon do the course on driving the Heavy Duty protected Beemers.
Ewa from Sweden came to visit from Sweden, we don’t see enough of her, bringing her Melbourne based sister. A very short weekend but I literally had just finished changing their sheets after they left when Christian, Anna and kids from Poland arrived for another shortish stay – Boy, do they get around this world or what. They have seen more of Australia than most Aussies.
For my birthday, Krysia and myself headed back to Port Stephens on the central coast of NSW. Its an easy drive, but there is still one part of Sydney that isn’t connected by ring roads that requires a bit of patience. We were staying at Bannisters, home of Rick Stein’s first overseas restaurant venture. We dined there one night and it was special. Had really beaut buffet breakfasts as well, no cooked bits but a tantalising array of good stuff. As per our visit to Port Stephens a few years back, there is great land-based whale watching to be had. Fish and chips on the beach for lunch, it was a great weekend break.
Krysia’s work is very demanding, she had to cancel her first attempt at a European re-union due to work pressures but headed off finally in August. This trip featured a bit of Italy, both on the way there and the way back. She is a brave little explorer. She had to share herself between family in Germany and Poland but she at least escaped the Canberra Winter.
My dysfunctional magpie family, one-eyed Buddy, Jasmine and HopAlong just disappeared one day and the very next day, Sassy and Beaky turned up with Sassy feeding from my hand on Day 1. They have such strong personalities and their song is amongst the nicest in the world.
Michael’s building project hit a few hurdles along the way. His trusty apprentice labourer did turn up every day to assist during the demolition of existing house and he is just waiting for some approvals to come through before recommencing work.
During that time, I was eyeing of a Moto-camping trip to Wilson’s Promontory. But the weather just couldn’t string a few good days together. Not too concerned about rain but strong winds are treacherous on the bike. Tried a smaller trip, camping at Broulee on the South Coast. There’s a nice walking trail between Broulee and Moruya Heads with a number of Geocaches. Bike was very much loaded to the brim and a lovely ride ensued. The Campground at Broulee is quite pretty except for where you need to pitch a tent. Would have been horrible if crowded. Still, it was nice to hear the waves as I strolled along the beach.
Things get a bit limited when the sun goes down. I retreated to the annex of the tent, read for a while and turned in quite early. Apparently, it got down to minus 1 that night. Despite sleeping bag being rated to minus 4 (minus 27 in extreme conditions whatever that means) and an insulated sleeping pad under, I froze. After a nice coffee and a light snack, headed off on that walking trail which I enjoyed muchly.
When I got back to camp, decided I didn’t want to freeze again so packed up camp and headed for home in the early afternoon. Packing the bike was a bit harder but nothing fell off. A few weeks later, decided to try again but I set my sights on Jervis Bay and Huskisson. Thought I would try to limit the damage and stay in a cabin on the headland. Forecast was a chance of rain for the next day but I got drenched on the ride down – that wasn’t forecast. Glad I was in a cabin with heater. Nice little town a 5 minute walk away and I ate like a King for a few days. Rode home through Kangaroo Valley. The ride up the escarpment was shrouded in cloud but lovely full sunshine once I reached Fitzroy Falls. That was the end of my adventures as Parliament was about to sit.
Michael and Eva headed off to Cambodia and Vietnam where they had a ball. They didn’t tell us beforehand about the motorbike touring. Krystyna got home a few days before they did. A few more day rides to keep the cobwebs away. I do have a YouTube channel if you want to see some amateur footage.
Australia has had the worst start to a bush-fire season in living memory and this was during Spring. We are lucky to have a PM who thought it was a good thing to bring a lump of coal into the Parliament. While Canberra hasn’t had any significant fires of its own, wind changes bring a smoky pall over the entire city. We have had weeks of terrible air quality. Krysia and me had our week away in the Maldives (see my web site – Stories – Travels-Maldives) which was great but I returned with a massive head cold.
One last bit of news to round out the year. Around the 1st of April next year, Alex will need some time off from Hangetsu Yoga in order to do a little bit of a child-birth thing. The entire family is thrilled.
My work with COMCAR really dries up over the Summer break. The Government with its very slender majority rarely sits, to avoid defeats on votes. As our usual Easter digs were not going to be available this year at Easter, we had the Australia Day long weekend at Wombarra. As I usually get itchy feet down there, I rode my bike down there so I could go for day trips. The ride down was fun, via Macquarie Pass which I am getting better at. I stopped at the Historical Aviation Museum at Albion Park, just South of Wollongong. What a great place that is for the aviation enthusiast, run by volunteers with some wealthy benefactors throwing the odd bunch of cash their way. It was heating up and by the time I was ready to ride to Wombarra, it was scorching.
The highlight of the stay was watching the whales from our decking, make their way to the South. Feasts were had, swims were had. I thought I would ride to Sydney Airport for the day to watch planes. I got stuck in traffic jams and the temperature was soaring close to 40 C , no place to be on an exposed bike that wasn’t moving. Reluctantly turned back. The next day, I rode to Kiama, again very hot until I actually got to Kiama where the sea breeze did its job. Still, it was a relaxing long weekend and we all enjoyed it, including the 3 dogs. Got a bit wet on my ride back to Canberra.
I did lots on one-day road trips on the Beemer and the odd ride with the COMCAR Bikers crew, a more ornery bunch of misfits you would not find. That crew did an overnighter to the High Country, I think in February but a few of us rode with them to Thredbo, where we had lunch and turned around. The roads around Thredbo are magnificent for Motorbikes, I will do that again come the warmer months. I did a longer ride across the top, to Cooma, Kiandra across to Tumut and Gundagai and then home via the Hume Highway via Yass – Great day and magnificent scenery over the 500km.
As mentioned before, our regular Easter spot was being used by the owners so we hunted around for another spot. Very hard to find places that allow dogs. We found a place, close to Wombarra at Bulli. It was a bit of McMansion, comfortable but surrounded by similar homes and a 5 minute walk to the beach. Modern Home yes, but as comfortable as one is with one’s partner, call me old fashioned but I like doors to ensuites and no louvred windows back into the bedroom from said ensuite. Parking was bit tight and I had to leave my bike on the driveway in front of our 2 cars. It did have nice big balconies but the view was nothing like we were used to. Interesting when I left to ride home at 7:00 am to avoid the Easter traffic, I was breathalysed by the Police on Picton Road.
Was selected to take part in the COMCAR Caprice replacement short-listing exercise. Now, there was a bit of fun – we are still waiting to sign off on the exercise. But for me, one of the highlights was going out to the Australian Federal Police Driver Training ground at Majura where the AFP Driver instructors were giving the cars the once over. I am proud to say that on one of the obstacle courses which involved coming out of a Witches Hat marked garage, doing a slalom through Witches Hats followed by a tight 180 degree hairpin, more slalom, then into another garage – then flicking the car into Reverse and doing the whole thing backwards; my AFP Driving Instructor who does this for a living, did the course in 1 minute & 6 seconds whilst I did it in 1 minute 14 seconds on my 3rd go, which I was really chuffed with.
Had another interesting day at the same complex where we helped the AFP with their Protected Vehicle Driving Course. Play roled as terrorists and paint-balled the convoys of cars. Did my own Protected Driving Training Course, run by the same people who train the AFP Driver Instructors. Very intense and I have to say, I came home exhausted after each day’s training but I am now qualified to drive Head’s of State and other VIPs on visits. Hope to soon do the course on driving the Heavy Duty protected Beemers.
Ewa from Sweden came to visit from Sweden, we don’t see enough of her, bringing her Melbourne based sister. A very short weekend but I literally had just finished changing their sheets after they left when Christian, Anna and kids from Poland arrived for another shortish stay – Boy, do they get around this world or what. They have seen more of Australia than most Aussies.
For my birthday, Krysia and myself headed back to Port Stephens on the central coast of NSW. Its an easy drive, but there is still one part of Sydney that isn’t connected by ring roads that requires a bit of patience. We were staying at Bannisters, home of Rick Stein’s first overseas restaurant venture. We dined there one night and it was special. Had really beaut buffet breakfasts as well, no cooked bits but a tantalising array of good stuff. As per our visit to Port Stephens a few years back, there is great land-based whale watching to be had. Fish and chips on the beach for lunch, it was a great weekend break.
Krysia’s work is very demanding, she had to cancel her first attempt at a European re-union due to work pressures but headed off finally in August. This trip featured a bit of Italy, both on the way there and the way back. She is a brave little explorer. She had to share herself between family in Germany and Poland but she at least escaped the Canberra Winter.
My dysfunctional magpie family, one-eyed Buddy, Jasmine and HopAlong just disappeared one day and the very next day, Sassy and Beaky turned up with Sassy feeding from my hand on Day 1. They have such strong personalities and their song is amongst the nicest in the world.
Michael’s building project hit a few hurdles along the way. His trusty apprentice labourer did turn up every day to assist during the demolition of existing house and he is just waiting for some approvals to come through before recommencing work.
During that time, I was eyeing of a Moto-camping trip to Wilson’s Promontory. But the weather just couldn’t string a few good days together. Not too concerned about rain but strong winds are treacherous on the bike. Tried a smaller trip, camping at Broulee on the South Coast. There’s a nice walking trail between Broulee and Moruya Heads with a number of Geocaches. Bike was very much loaded to the brim and a lovely ride ensued. The Campground at Broulee is quite pretty except for where you need to pitch a tent. Would have been horrible if crowded. Still, it was nice to hear the waves as I strolled along the beach.
Things get a bit limited when the sun goes down. I retreated to the annex of the tent, read for a while and turned in quite early. Apparently, it got down to minus 1 that night. Despite sleeping bag being rated to minus 4 (minus 27 in extreme conditions whatever that means) and an insulated sleeping pad under, I froze. After a nice coffee and a light snack, headed off on that walking trail which I enjoyed muchly.
When I got back to camp, decided I didn’t want to freeze again so packed up camp and headed for home in the early afternoon. Packing the bike was a bit harder but nothing fell off. A few weeks later, decided to try again but I set my sights on Jervis Bay and Huskisson. Thought I would try to limit the damage and stay in a cabin on the headland. Forecast was a chance of rain for the next day but I got drenched on the ride down – that wasn’t forecast. Glad I was in a cabin with heater. Nice little town a 5 minute walk away and I ate like a King for a few days. Rode home through Kangaroo Valley. The ride up the escarpment was shrouded in cloud but lovely full sunshine once I reached Fitzroy Falls. That was the end of my adventures as Parliament was about to sit.
Michael and Eva headed off to Cambodia and Vietnam where they had a ball. They didn’t tell us beforehand about the motorbike touring. Krystyna got home a few days before they did. A few more day rides to keep the cobwebs away. I do have a YouTube channel if you want to see some amateur footage.
Australia has had the worst start to a bush-fire season in living memory and this was during Spring. We are lucky to have a PM who thought it was a good thing to bring a lump of coal into the Parliament. While Canberra hasn’t had any significant fires of its own, wind changes bring a smoky pall over the entire city. We have had weeks of terrible air quality. Krysia and me had our week away in the Maldives (see my web site – Stories – Travels-Maldives) which was great but I returned with a massive head cold.
One last bit of news to round out the year. Around the 1st of April next year, Alex will need some time off from Hangetsu Yoga in order to do a little bit of a child-birth thing. The entire family is thrilled.
