Down Stubbs Road to FC's place

Little neighbourhood road where I took the bicycle today. Cool ride down the hill. Always fearful of fast cars or motorbikes coming the other way!

Yeah!

Aussie Xmas BBQ

Work Xmas Parties do not come any better than this. Not only was it by invitation of the boss, it included limo transfers!

Robert and Michelle live out in the country, so no better way to get folks safely in and out of town. Being a responsible employer none of us were put at risk! Ho ho ho...

Lauren moving to Turners Beach

Not too much is coming from Lindisfarne...

Dad and Killer helped load the truck as I had breakfast at 3pm...

Killer's van is awesome. Complete with on-board DVD player!

Xmas at Transtrain

Work luncheon! Cool. We should do this for every public holiday!

Investiture of my OAM!

Here are all the Tasmanian recipients of the 2009 Queens Birthday honours list.

Here am I with the GOVERNOR OF TASMANIA: HIS EXCELLENCY THE HONOURABLE PETER UNDERWOOD AC
http://www.govhouse.tas.gov.au/

Miss Fish on Adventure

Jes, AKA Miss Fish at her work, came out for a paddle with me. Being a Tassie born native she had no hesitation to get wet, but for me it was still a little too cool.


The little waterproof Panasonic camera worked well (in this cold climate), apart from sun glare in the lens here and there (considering there is no lens hood this is to be expected).


Only a couple of cormorants on the rookery today, but the whiff (which I am oblivious to) was very strong according to Miss Fish who must have acute olfactory senses...

Miss Fish out of water...

CF Clinic in Burnie

As much as it is meant to be depressing, visiting the CF clinic is always a bit of an entertaining afternoon. Too bad there is no travel subsidy to travel 65kms there and same back.

Denise and James looking their best....

Doctor Reid thinking about sunny Brisbane...

Although lung function was a miraculous 52% of predicted for FEV1 last month, it is now back to a normal 46%. Considering I have dropped below 40% in the past this is pretty OK. I just had a break of the antibiotics for 2 weeks, which proably explains why I dorpped again...

Heart Foundation

Doorknocking for the Heart Foundation today after my colonoscopy! If only people knew where I was that morning they may not have answered their doors. As it was I collected $150 and had the sun shine upon me while I did it. Amazing how you get a whole month to do it in and you barely get around to doing it! This house was the oddest visit. An old russian couple took a few minutes of explaining what I wanted and then explained they were pensioners and couldn't make a donation. Maybe she knew what crawled up my bum that morning. They were cute!

Stingyspecs

Hello, this is the new me. I got new glasses in the mail. OK, so they aren't the best and most fashionable, but darn it they work! My last pair of reading glasses I drove over in my car. Mate Prickle put them back together and the optometrist gave them a final touch, and they are OK. So in any case I thought I'd check out the online glasses. Found Stingyspecs on the Internet and ordered an extra pair of distance (pictured below) and a pair of reading glasses (pictured above)! Total bill including postage was $125 and they arrived within a week! Amazing.



I know I know, the reading glasses look like shit, but hey, I misplace glasses so often and to have a pair of $60 specs in the car or at work or wherever I randomly leave them is great!

Living at Cindy's

Still living at Cindy's in Turners Beach! Working on alternatives, but looks like I might be here till into the new year. My bicycle is parked at fellow Hasher Mullet's place in Don where I drive to every weekday and from there cycle into Devonport via my favourite Don track. \

Cindy is a whirlwind of random activity, she juggles a million and one things in the few weeks she is at home before going off-shore for another few weeks. She is mulching in the backyard as we speak and never even noticed me sneaking up to take this photo! Cindy the Million Dollar woman.

Smith's Residence

Tennis buddy Millan getting ready for work. Sister Maddy is shy.

Port Sorell breaky

I took Jo on the motorbike to Port Sorell this morning. Managed to walk during the downpour... Dried out on the way back.

Jo in town for Spring

Jo came to Devonport for a few days to check jobs and realestate.

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz....

I wonders where the birdies is.

CF Clinic

I drove to Launy last friday for the CF clinic. Last time I was scheduled to go (in Burnie) it got cancelled as I had (swine) flu symptoms and was referred to a swine-flu clinic instead. This time I had a sore throat and had a blocked nose as well, but no flu.

After driving for an hour and getting lost both outside and inside the hospital I finally arrived 40 minutes late at the right desk. Having had a good whiff of all the other sick people I felt like whimping out already, but decided to present myself to the reception since I had come all this way. Fortunately I was whisked away promptly and was put in front of Denise the councellor. She asked about Katherine... I tear up, adding to my disheffeled look. Doctor Reid walks in next, sees a coughing, sniffling, watery eyed mess resembling Walter. He calls off the clinic for me, sends in the man in the gown to swab me, prescribes me more antibiotics (in addition to the ones I am on already), puts me on the Tamaflu medicine again and I am left in the little room. someone is sent out to the hospital pharmacy to get my newly prescribed drugs. After an hour I wanted to leave, but got stopped by James. Maybe I had been forgoton, but in any case I got my meds prompto and ran to my car to race back to Devonport in time for tennis. The car had a parking fine...



And then as I drive along the highway I noticed another piece of paper under the wiperblade, wildly flapping in the wind. I stop and read the message to say someone scratched my car in the parking lot... I cough.

The scratch was not too bad, certainly not too bad for a first scratch after so many years. I call the lady to tell her to donate to CF instead and call CF TAS to tell Mark. Mark offers to look after my parking fine, write a letter etc. The lady emails me back says she made a donation and wants to pay for my parking fine. It was her first online transaction, and she promises to donate to CF again! Perfect.

Annoyed

I easily get annoyed these days. Watching this car wash employee spraying the mud off for 20 minutes was unbearable. Maybe it was the fag hanging out of his face for the first 6 minutes and watching the but go in the drain peed me off most. Who knows what it is, but watching someone pour gallons and gallons of water down the drain and pushing my reformed smoker buttons at the same time tested my anger-management skills. The guy waiting in front of me was so mesmerised by the act that he didnt even see a car leaving a stall - I had to knock on his window and ask if he needed a written invitation to go in and wash his car.

After washing my car I did call into the officeand asked if the man in the yellow pants was an uncle or cousin or something as surely he wouldn't be a paid employee! And so I battle on...

Helulu

Hello Lulu. This is Cindy's grandchild! That's right, I am living with a granny!! Pictured above with one of the ponies that lives on her property. And pictured below walking in the Don forest.


And Lennie the friendly neighbourhood dog came with us to protect us.


And so we spend the weekend when we get dragged away from our digital universe...

Jes feeds us chops...

Jes came over to Turners Beach to feed the animals (Cindy and myself)... Yum!

Middleburg Eccentric

 
Spotted in the Middleburg Eccentric! Word gets around doesn't it. Spreading awareness everywhere!

Mollies

 
Mmmm.... Guinness

Family

My brother's family....

Had a quiet birthday yesterday, went to work for a few hours, fixed someone's computer, had a pub meal, saw K and got my birthday mail... It is a sad year.

Laundry Day

Today is laundry day, tonight is party at the Moose Farm to celebrate the Return to the Stone-H, Burnie's 1000th Run celebration.

Birfday in the office

Here is Marie Smith whose mum Michelle, my boss, had another birthday! And in case you were wondering, Geoff below is her grandad, and yes, Michelle is his daughter. And Michelle's husband Rob is a fellow Lion at the City of Devonport Lions club.

Pride of Harwood

Check this out, next to the TransTrain/AusTrip office where I work we have a u-beaut vegie patch! Good-on-ya Geoff for doing a grand job at growing vegies here, a great surprise.