Mr Hoot

Saturday morning – 10:30am. Chris, Richard and I went for a bit of a photo walk to the St Kilda Botanic Gardens. Over the last few weeks, I had passed the sign pointing to St Kilda Botanic Gardens six times and wondered whether it would be a good place for photography. Well, it was. Very photogenic with ducks, a pond, a cool fountain/statue of a guy with an umbrella. Chris had my old Canon EOS 3000 35mm film camera and shot off a roll of film. He was having a retro experience to experience the archaic technology of a few years ago. Richard left to attend a Grand Final BBQ and Chris and I continued to shoot ducks, pigeons and the umbrella dude.

Eventually we drove off to visit St Kilda Community Gardens just near Luna Park. This is a small block of land rather like the old allotments back in England. Except these seem to be decorated with all sorts of nick-nacks. Good photographing. A short walk around Luna Park and we returned home so I could watch the Cats humiliate Port Power in the Grand Final. And Chris wanted to go and get that film developed…

Back at work today after having most of last week off sick. I have officially decided that work sux. Which brings me to the title of this post. If I retire on the 30th June 2010 as I am planning, that’s 1,011 days to go. I will be 60 then and will have worked* for the ATO for 20 years – I think that’s quite long enough.

* been employed by.

I was sort of looking forward to going to work today. It is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I anticipated annoying my scurvy shipmates with my piratical accent.
It was not to be however. I am sick (not sea-sick of course!).

So I went to the sawbones (doctor to all ye landlubbers). He gave me a shore pass for today and tomorrow – which means not much talking like a pirate.
Only funny part about it all was when the doctor stuck a wooden thingy in my mouth and told me to say…

ARRRRR!

I have come down with a mild case of the plague.  Came home early from work.  Might still be infectious.  If not better by the morning I will go and see Doctor Howlong.

Today saw myself, Richard, Chris and Mel make our way to Healesville Sanctuary. Had a great time walking around taking photos. Highlight for me was when Chris found an Eastern Yellow Robin nest in the Lyrebird aviary. The nest was right next to the path and the parent(s) really tame. They came and fed the nestlings right in front of us. Photos on Flickr here.
The other point of note (other than taking 540 photos) was that I clocked my camera. That means of course that I have taken more than 10,000 photos with the 30D.

After Healesville we went to Maroondah Dam which is not far from the sanctuary. A very photogenic place and a walk across the dam wall and up to the lookout had my legs aching and really puffed me out.

Another great photo-walk!

Why do we need more Wind Farms?

It’s windy enough already…

This email in today…

Hi there

Arrived in Zurich yesterday.

When catching plane from Rome the check in clerk stated – flight boards ABOUT 1.20. You have to realise that the Italians do not work very well to time. It’s like who cares.
Any way the plane was a hour late leaving (they couldn’t find a bus to take us to the plane therefore I missed my connecting flight to Zurich. Went to the check in at Vienna (by the way I hate Vienna airport.) they said oh. They rebooked my flight for 3 hours later and gave me a ten euro voucher for some food. That bought a cup of coffee and a muffin. It was absolutely rain cats and dogs in Vienna and you have to get off on the tarmac. By the time I got to Zurich I was a rung out dishrag.
This morning I took the train to Zurich city. Such a contrast to Rome. Begin my tour this evening.

My Italy tour was amazing so Switzerland has a lot to live up to. Everything is very expensive everywhere due to the euro do I will come back with very, very, little money. Oh well.

I am so glad that I came

Cheryl

I started out by just driving a little way. And before I knew it I had arrived at Churchill National Park. I parked the car and took my trusty camera for a walk. The park is bushland and after only a little way I spied a couple of Grey Kangaroos lying down in the dappled shade. I took their pictures and, as I did so, a couple more poked their heads out from the long grass.
I walked up a track that led uphill. At the top were a whole string of electricity pylons spoiling the beauty of the land. I chased a few birds but didn’t really get any good shots. On my way back down the hill there was a large mob of the kangas hopping away. I snapped a few pictures but it was hard to focus on them as they bounded through the scrub and fallen timber.
Back in the car I went for a quick drive to Lysterfield Reservoir. I took some pictures of the lake but wasn’t overly impressed. Off I went again, not meaning to go very far. I ended up at Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges. There were flocks of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Galahs, Crimson Rosellas, King Parrots, and a solitary Long-Billed Corella. They were all very friendly with the tourists and didn’t mind me taking their portraits. I went for a bit of a stroll along Lyrebird Track but didn’t see any – lyrebirds that is.
From there I went to William Ricketts Sanctuary. This is a calm and tranquil place filled with clay sculptures of Aborigines. The last time I was there was long ago and at that time I remember saying hi to a thin man in a beret – it was only after we left the sanctuary that I realised that it was William Ricketts himself. He has long since passed but his legacy remains.
Then I came home. I didn’t mean to go to all those places – I just somehow got there…

Hi there

Have just come back from a Sorrento farm where we saw mozzarella being made. We also Made our own pizza and ate it. Yum. We had lots of wine and lemonchello.
Have seen Pompeii today – wow.
The tour Has been wonderful. I am tired and have only dirty clothes left but it is the most wonderful time.
We were in Venice for the annual Regatta – unbelievable – and I rode in a gondola with singing and piano accordian – so great.
I Have a tan and have been burnt to blister and had to go to the Farmecia for cortisone cream.
My back is Great. I Have only taken about a thousand photos so I am on the first card still.
Thats all for now.

Lots of love to everyone
Cheryl (mum)

Sunday (2nd September 2007) saw David’s Airport Shuttle service working for the third time in three weeks. This time it was Tim who was off on holiday. He went to the Gold Coast for a few days, his first plane trip on his own. Have a great time Tim!
With Chris and Mel, we then headed towards home. We stopped off at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne and had a photo walk. Lots of pictures later we met up with Richard and Matthew and took more photos, had lunch and more of a walk around.
It was a beaut sunny day and there were many families celebrating Father’s Day with picnics. It was nice to spend time with family and I came home with a swag of photos both from the airport and the gardens.