country music festival weekend

That extra hour or so to Mildura makes the train / bus trip a loooong trip.  Took the train / bus to Mildura to see Fred for the weekend.   It was just a flying visit.  Up on Saturday back on Sunday.   It happened to coincide with the country music festival in Mildura so I had a good dose of country music for the weekend.   Fred, Elizabeth and I had dinner at the Irymple Club which had the Don Costa show performing.  That was very good.  On the Sunday morning we went to the Gateway for breakfast and a walk up.   It was a huge learning curve as far as the country music circuit went.   The walk up was interesting and it was a lovely morning.  After a cruise around the farmers market it was back to Elizabeth's for lunch then back onto the bus / train headed for home.   David was there to pick me up at Southern Cross.  Make a note to self.  Next time I am travelling for several hours at a time get up  and move around.   My poor tailbone is v. tender today. 

team work

              photographer Jen Jen

storm clouds brewing over lilydale

On my way to work at 8.30 am and I got to the top of the hospital hill and it was dark and the lightening was flashing and I could see the traffic lights from Victoria / Mooroolbark Rd so just had to stop and take a photo.   Thought it would only take a minute but it must have been a country minute as I was a minute late swiping into work.   Oh well it was worth it.   Pity I couldn't have fluked a lightening bolt in one of the photos but it was spectacular.

Podiatrist

Went to the podiatrist well that was a mistake.  Now foot is even worse.  He gave me a pair of inner soles that are killing my arches and making the spur even worse.   The spur was only hurting me in the mornings when I first got out of bed but now by lunch time on the  first day I have had to change shoes.  I am wearing a small pair of pumps and that is far better than the inner soles.  Maybe they just need getting used to.

tax done - all three years of it

Finally gave my tax paperwork to the accountant.  A whole three years worth.  He asked me a couple of relevant questions looked at the bulging file and stated the obvious.   Well he said we won't be getting this done today.  then he added I'll call you when I have it ready for you to sign.  That was early July.   A couple of weeks ago I needed my tax file no. and remembered my tax folder at the accountants.   I gave them a call.   Oh we're just finishing up on it now she reassured me.  I'll give you a call when it is ready to sign.  A few days later and I gave her a call.  I have tomorrow morning off work I told her I'll be up to sign my tax papers.   End of story.   I can understand that it was a bit of a mess so wasn't too fussed about it working its way to the bottom of the pile but I didn't want three years to turn into four.  It might take a little longer than the normal 2 weeks for my tax refund to arrive but I guess I have been this patient what is another couple of weeks.

green rubbish

My phone rang and I answered it.   Are you inside was the immediate response to my initial Hello.    David?   I questioned. As far as I knew David was outside working on the guttering.  Can you come outside and help me, was his next response.   Be right there.  I slammed the phone shut and raced out the back to where I had last seen David imagining him hanging from a second story gutter.  I searched around the eaves, then on the ground and couldn't find him.  Puzzled I decided to check the front yard and couldn't help but laugh when I saw him squatted on top of greens bin one leg firmly wedged into the bin with the branches. I think even Modo was laughing.  I have to get my shoes I managed to call and raced inside to get the camera.   It was shot worthy.

the other one walked

Finally got to ramp up my walking and did a 10 k walk.   Its been a while since I've done a long walk and I thought I might need rescuing but it didn't take long at all.   Modo and I walked to the lake, twice around the lake then home again.   Modo even got to have a bit of a swim.

while one worked

David at work again on the gutters.   This time he had to fight flowering shrubs and fushias to do it.

kimmii and paulii

Yay my first son-in-law to be.

more dandy demo

coming down - slowly

safe on the ground

working up high

schnitz

Had a lovely night out with Jarrod and beautiful Jen Jen and her parents.   Went to schnitz in Knox.  Tuesday night and I couldn't believe it the place was packed.  Jen Jen pointed out it was near the cinema and it was tight arse Tuesday.   Ahhh that made sense.
Do you know what the sad part of the night was?   Jen Jen and I were dressed alike.  Oops.

incompetent

That is just part of something nice that I can say about the people who serviced mums Barina.  At the last service they lost the service book and just said we don't have it.   Anyway stupid me takes it for another service to the same people and to get a roadworthy.   Well the incompetence just continued.  I was to pick up the vehicle after hours so they were going to leave it out for me with the key on the back wheel.  They phoned work about 10 and asked me if I wanted to do some preventative work on the vehicle - $760 worth. I said no they asked if I wanted to spend another $65 on brake fluid.   Well no I don't want to but guess I will have to, then they wanted to blow the engine out for another $65.   I said forget it.   I'm paying an arm an a leg for the service and all I get is engine oil and a filter.  Anyway he got my credit card details so it would be paid and I could pick it up after hours.  He said it would be finished soon.  Told him there was a chance I could pick it up during my lunch break instead of after work.   During my lunch break decided to walk down and pick up car.   Get there and first they couldn't find my keys, then asked me my details.   Why I asked. For the roadworthy.   Ok.   Then they asked me for my license.   I didn't bring it with me.   But we need it for the roadworthy.   Then why didn't you get all this info when I dropped the car off this morning.   You knew I would be picking it up after hours and you were going to have the roadworthy in the car.   No you didn't say you were picking the car up after hours.   What!  Then why did I pay for it over the phone and why we're you going to leave it out with the keys on the back wheel?   He said nothing.   So it is another trip to the Holden place with my license to finally get the roadworthy and that will be the last they ever see of me.

pepper lily

Have another beautiful grand niece to add to the list.   Pepper Lily was born approx  6.15  weighing in at 8 lb.   Another dark haired babe.

sunday family night

Family, a game or two of Ned Kelly, dinner which included garlic prawns - superbly done - topped off by this magnificant chocolate dessert.   What more could you want?

gutter vacuum

Tim the toolman eat your heart out.

David reasoned that seeing as the indoor vacuum did such a good job even running around all the pipes in the house that he could do the same for an external one for the gutters.   After a bit of research we discovered that there were actual gutter vacuums but all commercial qauality.

So off to Bunnings we went ( and after a few laughs from the staff when we told them what we wanted to do ) we bought a wet and dry outdoor vacuum some pvc piping, a couple of joiners and an hour later we had our gutter vacuum.   Why did it take an hour to build.   It didn't.  About 15 minutes and David had all the pipes joined and ready to go.   The rest of the time was spent trying to work out the instructions for the wet and dry.   The instructions were a nightmare.   In the end after a lot of 'maybe we should phone Bunnings and ask them how the filters work' and 'they wouldn't knows' we finally nutted it out.   Better instructions would have saved us a lot of time.   But in the end it worked fantastic.  Got up to the second story with two lengths of hose and began the unclogging process.   Figure if the weather was dry and hence everything in the gutters dry and not clogged with years of rubbish it would have been a dream to clean the gutters.

By the way the whole unit wet and dry and pipes cost under $250-

back in training - just

It is so hard to keep to a training schedule much less increase it.   Got to work early enough to go for a walk around the lake before work today as I had a late start.  News last night said today was going to be the windiest for fourteen years.  Big sigh just something else I have to worry about but back to the walk.   I looked across the lake and the dark clouds had gathered blocking the horizon and the wind was - well it was windy.  Would I be foolhardy enough to risk a walk around the lake.   Doesn't look like I will be getting in much walking for the rest of the week if I don't.  Don't put it off just do it.   I gave myself a little pep talk and headed off.  By the time I got to the start of the trail around the lake I was ready to turn around and go back.   The wind was nearly blowing me backwards.   A few more steps and I was out of the wind.  OK just a little bit further then I will turn around.   My pep talk must have done a little good.   It wasn't too bad but I knew that when I got to the back straight I would come into the wind again.   Looking ahead I could see an older gentleman pushing a baby stroller with a little dog on a lead.  Oh well I thought if he is prepared to take the risk guess I can to so I plugged on.  I finally caught up with him and to my surprise there was another little dog in the stroller.  Oh well guess he wasn't that foolhardy after all.  I took the time for a bit of a chat and moved on.   Then I felt the first few spits of rain.   I looked behind me then forward again trying to guage whether it would be quicker to retreat or move forward.  Guessed I was about half way so it wan't going to make much difference anyway so forward it was.  After being sandblasted by tiny bits of pebble thrown up by the wind and then nearly knocked off my feet by the wind on the homeward stretch I finally made it back to where I started.   The rain never eventuated- guess it was just testing me but I had a good workout walking against the wind.

lucky find

If a lucky find can be finding the contents of your shower emptying onto the ground under your house, then I have had a lucky find.   David was looking for some scrap wood to help fix the front fence (another story) when he could hear running water.  I was inside having a shower at the time.   He crawled around under the house until he found it and yep the pipe that took the grey water from the shower had burst .   He reconnected the pipes only to have them pop open again when the shower was run.  This time he did a bit of exploration and discovered that the pipes had popped off because they were totally clogged with 20 plus years of hair and gunk.   A good clean out and pipes reconnected again and everything was flowing as it should be.   So moral here is clean out your pipes whether they seem to need it or not.   Which brings me to the kitchen sink.   Think I will give it a good degunk next weekend.