The Stag Farm

The girls arrived back safely after their week away up north.  They had a good time except it was a bit hot but they survived in the pool and the air-conditioned cabin.

They did the shops and the markets and MP and Muppet took a ride along the Rail Trail and mum met them along the way with refreshments and they had a good day out.

I got a text message that they were going to a stag farm.  That got my imagination running wild, but lo and behold, guess what?

Deserted

Unlike some of my other blogger friends who have made New Year’s resolutions to blog daily, I’m afraid my haphazard approach continues. 

Nothing really much to tell you unless I mention the weather.  Hot, hot and did I mention hot but it’s been a mild January so far and only the last couple of days have hit the mid 30’s and back to some more mid 20’s for the rest of the week so who’s complaining.

MP has deserted me for 6 days as she is accompanying MM and Muppet for a getaway to Porepunkah up the north east of the State.  A beautiful area up there and they are going to chill out and hopefully the break will help speed-up MM’s recovery.

The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail abuts the park where they are staying and young Muppet got a new bike for Christmas and so they are keen to try out some of this Trail.  The full 116 kilometres isn’t on the agenda but that’s something MM and I are planning to tackle in autumn when the new camper arrives.

For those of you who took an interest in my brother’s blog while he was in China, I can tell you it’s no more as he has left China and is currently at his new home that he had built in Bali.  He’s there for a month and then heads to Western Australia to look for work and some decent money which is to be had in that mineral rich State.

That’s it for the moment.  The girls knocked me up meals for three nights as if I can’t look after myself but it was appreciated.

Food parcels gratefully accepted for the next three. 

World War 3

Calling all gardeners among my readers.  Even lazy ones! 

I need your advice.  We’ve been invaded by a plague of Soldier Beetles.  And I mean a PLAGUE!  These photos with them resting on top of our recycle bin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve never had this problem before but these things have congregated at our places in their millions and have become a pest.  They’re not harmful and I believe that gardeners like them because they keep the harmful bugs away but enough is enough.

They congregate in our big eucalyptus tree and a row of Photinia.  They mate in huge clumps on practically anything green around a small section of our yard, and when things heat up, they swarm and you can’t venture outside without eating the things.

We have been spraying them with a white oil mixture of vegetable oil, dishwashing liquid and water but it has limited effect on these fellows.  Slows them down and they disappear for a bit but come bouncing back with vengeance.

The local nursery confirmed that the problem is widespread in the area and more a nuisance than a problem.  They mentioned a chemical that would work but at the risk of nuking every living thing within a wide range so we opted for their suggestion of bringing in the big guns of using the Karcher.

That, or napalm. 

Memories

My father passed away 4 months ago, and his wife, my step mother, succumbed to cancer last week.  96 and 93 years old respectively.  Coincidently, it was 35 years to the day since my mother died.  The funeral was yesterday and now a generation gone.

We’ve been sorting through dads possessions and my sister came across an article written in 1993 by dad in the now defunct Palestine Police Association magazine which you may find interesting.  I’ve written previously about some of dads close encounters while serving in Palestine from 1938 until the British withdrew in 1948 but this was an account from his own pen.

From the editor of the magazine……..

Our Tom was stirred by a previous edition of Taht el Taht (No. 24) which depicted the one-ton barrel bomb device that made such havoc of Haifa District Police Headquarters and billet one Sunday morning on 29th September, 1947.   

"I was sleeping peacefully that Sunday morning on the second floor when at 6.00 a.m., the dividing wall of my bedroom crashed in on me.  I spent most of the following hours carrying the injured down the non-existent staircase to waiting ambulances.  I saw the Arab coffee-vendor lying out there on Kingsway calling for help.  He died later, and I remember seeing a body stripped of its uniform being hauled from the barbed wire.  Twelve died in that attack and Const. Robert Pringle was blinded with many others injured”

The following describes the attack by the Irgun Z’vai Leumi on a cafe frequented by the police in dads squad…………..

“I had not long been posted to Sgt. Kealy’s anti-terrorist section.  He was a very fluent Hebrew speaker and had contacts.  He was worried that something was going to happen but could get no information.  Our section was six strong:  Sgt. Bill Haubner, B./Consts. Holman, Turner and Eric Martin, myself and of course Kealy.  We were to finish up with just two of us intact.  Myself and Holman.  Bill Haubner was killed and Kealy, Turner and Martin were all shot and wounded and sent home to England.  Eric Martin we still hear about.  He was shot in the spine and has ever since been in The Star and Garter Homes at Richmond, Surrey.  This shooting incident came about sometime later at a cafe (Cafe Haas – Ed.) a little way down in Kingsway where we regularly gathered for a cuppa about 11.00 a.m.  The fire came from above us instead of from where we might have expected, the street.  Two members of the I.Z.L. held up office staff in offices above the cafe and opened fire straight down on us.  I was just heading for the place when the gunmen opened fire and arrived in time to help my pals into an army truck." 

Ed Note: A sad tale but evocative of the times.  On a lighter note Tom’s son was born on 6th January, 1948, nearly two months afterwards in Government Hospital, Haifa.  This brings a brighter tone to the proceedings.  But we thank Taht el Taht for reminding us of those far off days in Haifa.  Once the nicest town in the Eastern Mediterranean and a city of death, struggle and suspicion for many a long month.

The Market

Nice mild summer to date but that’s about to change today with 41c forecast but some pleasant weather again after tomorrow.

Looks like the cold spa will be the place to be today because I’m not tackling the beach at the moment with the hordes of thrip in attendance.  Maybe early in the morning or the evening as the sharks come in to feed off the rubbernecks during the day.

Anyway, yesterday was a lovely day for the monthly Ocean Grove market and MP again setup her wares and did well selling over 50 owls, Barbie clothes and Barbie bean bags.

Check out the body language here.  “For goodness sake they’re only 5 bucks.  Eeny, Meeny, Miny Mo………”

Unfortunately, we were camped beside the local CFA tent (hence the fire truck) cooking up sausages.  I can tell you it’s not that pleasant sniffing in greasy snags at 9am in the morning.

Just kidding about the sharks.  They only attack at random. 

Doctors Orders

MM’s doctor has told her she needs to do this.

Methinks she hasn’t quite come to grips with what is required yet.

Things better improve because she swallowed a meatball the other day and we thought she was pregnant.  

Keep an Eye Out

The question of safety when using a lawn mower was answered many years ago when a blade snapped off the mower I was using and embedded itself about 5 cm’s into the side of the house. 

Hence, I’ve always used steel capped boots and ear muffs when mowing but my safety glasses used to get so easily scratched that I didn’t bother using them.  Anyway, how often are you likely to get hit in the eye while mowing.

About 6 months ago, I bought a new pair of safety glasses but still got slack and only took to wearing them occasionally.  Probably not a wise move considering I wear expensive glasses.

A couple of weeks back, I was merrily trimming away on a pleasant Sunday morning while annoying the neighbours when a stone decided to head my direction from the bottom of the mower and impacted my left eye at considerable speed.

How am I recovering? Well, a bit shaken from the what if but I can still see out of the chipped safety glasses okay.

Take care out there and keep an eye out whether your are driving or mowing and enjoy the festive season.

Upside Down in Down Under

Galahs are prolific in this country and we get quite a few hanging around our back yard.

Literally and figuratively!

Fashion Icon

Excuse the pun but do you think it will dawn on Muppet’s Mum that we’re in the 21st century now?  A great friend but we wouldn’t be seen out dead with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, the one on the left is off to a Stepford Wives party last June and the shocking pink outfit was worn to an 80’s party last weekend. 

She’s currently in hospital in Melbourne for a few days having some follow-up surgery and we wish her a speedy recovery.  All the friends are on deck to help out again and she’ll probably try and milk this for all it’s worth too.  

No More Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Regular readers will remember my several posts on the new car and pedestrian bridges dividing Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads including quite a few photos over the period of it’s construction.

Well, after 2½ years it’s finally finished and it looks great.  A low key opening ceremony and naming of the bridge was conducted yesterday, which thankfully, retains it’s original name of The Barwon Heads Bridge for the cars and The William Buckley Bridge for the peds.

As is usual in a community when something like this happens, there was much dissention by a rabble few who had their own opinions about what should replace the old bridge.  Well, the finished product has bridged the divide in the community and everyone agrees it’s a great community asset including the doomsayers.

Credit should go to the previous planning minister in the Victorian Government, Justin Maddern and to VicRoads and the building contractors, McConnell Dowell for a job well done.

A brass plaque at the Barwon Heads side will remind everyone using the pedestrian bridge about the Irish workers, Adrian Freeman and Robert Twomey, who died in May 2010 in a car accident through no fault of their own just out of Barwon Heads while returning home from working on the bridges.

And to top it all off, guess who I shared the bridge with on Wednesday but our own Cadel Evans,  the winner of this years Tour de France who was out for a leisurely ride.

History Lesson

This Facebook gives me the heebie-jeebies but I just love this news feed.

The Toms

Sorry for the lapse in missives but this retirement caper can be time consuming.  Too much happens between getting out of bed and getting back into it.

MPS gave her son Tom (our nephew) a guitar when he was 4 and he’s just turned 21.  At the time I thought the dream of being a rock star by a 4 year old would soon fade.

Well, I may have been proven wrong!  They are now off to Germany in August 2012 to compete against other regional winners in this competition for new talent.

A band that includes a Tom Collins, a Tom Jones and Meagan Thomson would have to succeed.