Back in the dentist's chair..

Thursday, 25 December 2014

 

So this week I've had 3 immunisations for impending overseas travel, a visit to the optometrist and against my better judgment, another visit to the dentist.

The results of which are that I'm ready for a trip to India later in the year, I have to get glasses, and although I had to have two more fillings, I'm finally pretty much pain free.

The photo above is my view from the chair, the mirror reflects the beach outside, so I try to relax by watching the paddlers and boats and dog walkers going past.  It probably helps.

How I became an Importer

Tuesday, 23 December 2014

So, as you might have gathered,  I've been organising the prizes for the Oceania Orienteering Championships, which kicks off on the 2nd of January in Launceston.  I took on this role because I recon when you pay upwards of $30 for a single days event, and you win, or bust your gut to get a place, you deserve something more to remind you of your good day than a lame certificate or useless cloth badge both of which are recycled or kept in a drawer. I know Ii've gone on about this before but I recon it's feasible to provide cheap yet good prizes which make most people happy and also serve as good souvenir of the event.

Which is how I found myself checking out various promotional websites, looking at how much things like logo mugs would cost.  As it turned out I went with local craftwood products for most of the prizes, but while I was looking I came across these:



Cowbells!  It suddenly occurred to me that, rather than be used for prizes, they would be a great thing for every single competitor to take home with them (and then take further to other orienteering & sporting events around the country).  I had great fun cheering competitors into the finish with a borrowed cowbell at Wildside.  They are a good branding item but also great for providing a bit of atmosphere at an event (perhaps too much atmosphere? - that remains to be seen!)


As I was working with a very small budget for the prizes, I was unsure that the powers-that-be would be all that delighted to fork out  a completely unbudgeted-for $2.48 + setup + shipping  per competitor for a cowbell (approximately $2600) so before trying to convince them I looked further to see if I could get them done for cheaper..

And I came across Alibaba - a site which connects importers & distributers with factories overseas. The orders generally have to be very large before you can deal with them - but as I needed 850 (close to the minimum 1000), I decided it was worth investigating.   

Out of interest on the above website, check out the suggested functions of the cowbells: 

'Cheers' I get, but 'Fighting'?  I guess they might be handy to swing at your neighbour should they not be cheering for the same person you are, or perhaps if they are constantly ringing the bloody thing in your ear!  

Most of the websites advertised these cowbells for between 10c & $1 - so I went to the Oceania boss and sold him the idea based on what I considered was a pretty pessimistic guesstimate of $1 per cowbell. He said yes - yay!   

So with a initial green light from the Head Honcho (HH) I went back to Alibaba and sent off a whole lot of enquiries -   it turns out there are many factories and companies on Alibaba in China who make cowbells, but I discovered after a few enquiries that there weren't many who responded promptly and/or understandably to my emails.  Also by the time you enquire and account for shipping and customising with a logo, the quotes are often fair bit more then the advertised price ranges!   I ended up going with a company/factory in  Zhejiang China, called Promoworld which offered a nicer version (larger, with a proper bell-ringer and a screen printed (rather than sticker) logo with a strap as well).   After a bit of haggling we ended up with a price of approximately $1.50 per bell.  Unfortunately that was a 50% increase on my original proposal, so I went back to HH to get it authorised before I went ahead with it all.


Luckily he was easily convinced that it was still a great idea so next was a flurry of international communication as I got colours & logos sorted and waited for a production sample to be made. I was really glad that the company I chose had a rep who had pretty good English skills.  I have to say our relationship was much better than the Australian contact I had for the volunteer t-shirts I also organised who seemed to get some crucial detail wrong every time we made contact- I was very relieved when they finally arrived in the correct colour and style - but I had to be on my toes the whole way through!).

Anyway - back to the cowbells- a few weeks later I was emailed photos of the production sample which I approved and the rest of the order was fulfilled shortly. Which is where things started to get tricky. 

The quote included shipping to Melbourne but no further, so I had to organise the 130kg of boxes to magically get from Port Melbourne to Hobart ideally with no extra cost. Conveniently brother Paul (henceforth to be known as The Closer)  not only lived in Port Melbourne but was coming on the boat to Tasmania for Christmas. So I'd let him know that he had been assigned the job of picking up the goods, however when he heard that the cargo involved 9 boxes and 130kg he baulked at the idea of actually taking them with him on the boat as he already had two bikes in the back of the car. 

So this is where my buddy Clare came into it (to be henceforth known as The Mule).  She was arriving back from LA and was picking up a cheap rental campervan for a relocation job -  which means around $5 per day plus free trip on the boat. So at the small sacrifice of some of her possessions which would need to be left behind in Melbourne, she was able to pick up the goods from The Closer, and take them with her.  

But before The Closer & The Mule could make contact I had to work out how you actually  get hold of stuff which has arrived on a ship.   Luckily the Alibaba rep was able to point me in the direction of a shipping agent, who I quickly hired to do all the customs declarations and which also gave us a place to pick up the goods. Unfortunately that cost $140 but I decided it was only way it was going to happen since i didn't think The Closer would be too keen on spending hours in various offices getting clearances.  So up went my total cost..


The shipping agent assured me everything would be done in time for the Closer to transfer to The Mule in time for the last leg of the journey. He followed that up by sending through his invoice, and then horrifyingly sending through another one for $330 for port costs.  Port Costs? Yep - turns out that anything that arrives by ship is subject to various port costs.  I know this because I rang him two minutes after receiving it and he said that yes, port costs were an actual thing and that every new importer was equally surprised by them.  Sigh. I had no alternative, up went the unit price again..



Ouch. So I was actually getting quite close to the original Australian price, but with a whole lot of extra shipping hassles.  Bugger.

So how did it all play out? Well I eagerly followed the progress online of my ship (the OOCL HONG KONG)..

 

..which docked in the middle of the night on the scheduled day and about 8 days later my shipping agent told me the goods were cleared and ready to pick up.  The Closer then spent an hour in a queue then an hour dodging large trucks and speeding forklifts in the shipping yard before getting finally his hands on the boxes, which he stored under highly armed guard at his Melbourne base.

 

Meanwhile The Mule slipped into town from LA, picked up the goods, transferred herself to the boat and then successfully delivered the cargo to a middleman waiting south of Launceston who in turn delivered them to Event Central ready for distribution.  At least I think that's what has happened. The Mule is maintaining such extreme radio silence that she's possibly been done for the 100kg of ice I also had stashed in each bell, or maybe she's made off with the goods herself.  

I should mention that this drop off  in Perth (TAS) was organised without my knowledge (which was handy if a bit annoying - particularly for my ice shipment) but luckily I got the Closer to grab one box of bells to take all the way to Hobart so I could see them in real life before they were all given away - and here they are! yay!!!



..and so ends my short-lived importing career. I've learnt a lot -  I'd certainly deal with the same company in China again (with is more than I can say for the shirt people in Australia), but I also know about the extra hassle (and costs) that come along with shipping directly - I was lucky to be able to use my homies to get the gear upon its arrival - but I doubt they want to repeat the process anytime soon (unless I am actually importing ice and they get their cut).

So I'll end this lengthy post with the final correspondence from my contact in China:

Wish these cowbells would be popular with your clients... Fighting...

Best Regards,Susan 

 ok.

meanwhile..

Tuesday, 23 December 2014

while the local criminals are plotting their next attack, I'm doing the final preparations for the Oceania prizes..

 

 

Last nights reindeer crime

Tuesday, 23 December 2014


swimming caps & goggles 

my cuties

Monday, 22 December 2014

One of these cuties has to head off to work, the other one will spend the day tumbling around the house with his sister and his Nintendo DS.

 

 

 

it's a dodgy neighbourhood

Saturday, 20 December 2014

Each year Jon joyously brings out his herd of Christmas Reindeer  and arranges them tenderly on the lawn.

And each year they are vandalised almost nightly by the local neighbourhood hoons.  Last night's attack was particularly heinous...

 

My Weekend

Monday, 15 December 2014

 

 

 

The Dentist-lovers amongst you might think this post demonstrates why you should go to the dentist (regularly), where as I think it demonstrates why you should NEVER go to the dentist. EVER. Nothing good can come of it.

So. When I finished my last full time contract in July, I told myself I would finally have time to go to the dentist and get a checkup and make sure everything was ok and perhaps get that chipped tooth looked at.  So I did, and got it all sorted out and that's the end of the story. Except I actually didn't. Because I hate going to the dentist, it's expensive and it hurts. And then when you do go, they find lots of other things they want to do to you which will also hurt.  

So I didn't go, and then I didn't go some more, and then I continued to not go.  

And then I woke up at 3.15am on Friday covered in sweat and with a throbbing tooth.  Dang.  So being the courageous and brave and very responsible person I am, I booked an appointment with the dentist that morning.   

After a few hours at work I headed to the dentist and explained my woes (including explaining my tendency to ignore dental issues).  So he took a look and an x-ray and um-ed and ahh-ed (I prefer to think that he didn't gasp, but maybe he did) and then he explained that I had two options. 

Option 1: Attempt a root canal, which would be tricky as there was already a filling in the tooth, and it would take a number of weeks/months, and cost $1500 bucks.

Option 2: Remove the tooth. He recommended this option as it was the very back tooth and said I wouldn't notice it, nor would it be visible.  It would cost $200 bucks and be done straight away.

 So I was happy to go along with option 2 as the last thing I wanted to be doing was returning to the dentist heaps of times and forking out heaps of bucks for the pleasure.

Now I had always imagined that pulling out a tooth would take 10 seconds and be very straight forward (just like in cartoons except without the bit where they attach the string to a horse). Turns out it's harder than that.   It took almost an hour of yanking and jiggling and pushing and pulling and cracking (it broke into three) and then worst of all, in order to get purchase on the remaining bits, he had to drill into my jawbone.  It was awful - the smell of burning bone was terrible and I thought I was going to spew.  In the end it came out but it certainly was a lot harder than both of us were expecting and patients were queuing up outside in the waiting room as a result (I bet they just couldn't wait to get inside that surgery for their own fun). I'd had to get two local anaesthetic injections and consequently I was numb to my eyeballs and in shock at the sheer amount of force that was used. So I abandoned the thought of going back to work and went home and straight to bed.

As Jon was working I only had a couple of hours before I had to drag my still-numb face off to pick up the kids from school then take Zali to horse riding. It was while she was riding that the anaesthetic wore off and I was hit with the full force of the pain. It was pretty bad but luckily her lesson was only 1/2 an hour long so I was able to speed back home and take my one remaining Panadene Forte tablet I had left over from my ankle surgery a few years ago. It did the job magnificently and fifteen or so minutes later I was super relieved it was all over and even ready to go out for dinner with friends.

Unfortunately it wasn't all over and 2 hours later the pain was ramping up and my mood was spiralling downwards - we drove home via the supermarket where I grabbed a few different sorts of painkillers, none of which did any good at all, unless I doubled the dosage. And so the night and next day blurred into a pain and painkiller fuelled cycle. I didn't get one single minute of sleep on Saturday night as the over-the-counter tablets weren't doing anything and whilst I had some Endone (like morphine), which was really pleasant, it kept me awake and only lasted 90 minutes, after which I was right back where I started from. 

So by Sunday morning I was a wreck.  Thankfully my brother-in-law Rob, who is no stranger to pain himself, having suffered multiple sporting injuries and tooth trauma, had a supply of panadol forte and other good drugs. So first thing Sunday morning I collected his stores and finally got some good pain relief. The only thing was that the relief only lasted for about 2 hours, while packages said to take four to six hours between dosages. There was no way I was able to wait that long, so by the end of the day I recon I'd consumed more Panadol Forte than I had food, which is not at all good, especially coming off the back of the large amounts of over-the-counter stuff the day before.   It really hurt though, so I didn't feel I had much option.

As well as providing the good drugs, Rob also recommend a nice combination of tablets for sleeping which thankfully worked a treat on Sunday night.

All this time I thought the pain was normal after an extraction - after all it was too soon for there to be any infection, and the Dentist said it had all gone ok in the end.  So I just couldn't understand why on earth he had sent me home, on a Friday (thus with no access to him over the next two days), without a prescription for painkillers.  So the first thing I did on Monday was ring up and ask for one (and complain about not being given one in the first place).   The receptionist said I should get the dentist to take a look just in case while I was there so despite sitting in a dentist's chair being the last thing I ever wanted to do, I went down there and let him take a look.

And whaddayaknow.. turns out I had this thing called dry-socket, which occurs in 2-5% of patients where (stop reading if you feel queasy) a blood clot doesn't properly form over the site of the extraction, to cover the bone and allow healing behind it, so the bone and nerves remain exposed to everything, causing a lot of pain.

And I've just read on the internet that this is more likely to occur if you have a 'traumatic' extraction. tick. The website describes the condition as leading to 'severe pain'.  tick tick and double tick.

So I got my panadol forte prescription and the wound got re-dressed and hopefully things will go better now. I can at least almost last from one recommended dosage to the next which is a big improvement.

So I think we've all learnt something from this experience. I certainly have, and as such I have cancelled my appointment for later in the week for a general check-up and clean. Just to be on the safe side.

Invites

Sunday, 14 December 2014

I really enjoy making the kids invitations for their parties - I'll miss it when they are all grown up. Actually maybe I'll just keep doing it - it will be their cross to bear.  Anyway my  favourite ones were the spider ones for Zali's Creepy Party and the map-in-a-bottle pirate ones for Jett's pirate party. You can check them out over in my kids party collection I suspect that the days of 3d invites are over however I'm still having fun with the straight graphics. The last two invites used the light painting images we made a few months ago - I really like the one we did for Zali today. .. 

 

 

We get them printed at BigW for .15c each - so much cheaper (and more fun) than printing them ourselves or buying a booklet of them.

 

 

Bruny Island Ultra

Sunday, 7 December 2014

As previously discussed, Jon ran the 64km Bruny Island Ultra yesterday.  He entered this race for the sole purpose of qualifying for the much more interesting Cradle Mountain run which is 80-ish k. There are other ways to qualify such as doing a North Face 100k race, but this is by far the easiest route, combined with a sub 4 hour time in the Triple Tops race earlier in the year.

The ultra is quite unique in that you can start anytime you want after 4am, you just have to finish by 2:30.  Jon chose to start at around 6am, which meant that we caught up to him just before the spit which separates North Bruny from South Bruny - about 2.5 hours into his run.  

 

At this point Jon was looking pretty happy and running quite smoothly. I noticed he hadn't made quite as much progress as the same time in 2012, but he wasn't far behind which was good. Jon's preparation for this race has been pretty haphazard in terms of both training and sleep. In fact the last two weeks he's been working so hard that he hadn't had more than about 5 hours sleep per night and there were at least two nights with no sleep at all. So not the ideal taper to say the least.  We both knew he was going to suffer today, the question was how-much, and would he make it to the end in time.  If he didn't, that would mean having to complete an even harder race to get that qualifying time.  

So, it was good to see he was travelling along ok at just over 1/3 of the way through. Phew!  We gave him some watermelon, re-filled his water, and drove ahead 5k to meet him at the turnoff to Alonnah.   This is one of my favourite spots to wait as the views are really nice and it's the halfway point of the race as well as the point where the runners start to cross from the east side to the west side of the island - a real milestone.

 

And after a while he arrived. Looking decidedly less good than 5ks ago.  There wasn't much we could do but refill his water, give him more food and send him onwards with the hope that he would improve.  It was still too early in the race for him to fall apart.  He may have lost his form, but hadn't lost his sense of humour - his parting words where that he was going to 'smash' the next leg over to the township of Alonnah.   As I rolled around on the ground laughing I could only think he meant 'smash' as in the way a glacier 'smashes' down a valley over about one billion years.   In fact his not-so-blistering speed was something I had to watch out for for the rest of the race - we'd say goodbye after a support stop and he'd shuffle off. Then I'd pack up the car, round up the kids,  find my keys,  get something out of the boot that I'd forgotten, get in, start the engine and Jon was still so close to the car he was in danger of being run over as we pulled away.  

Anyway we shot off to Adventure Bay to get petrol and visit the fudge shop while he 'smashed' the leg across to Alonnah.   Unfortunately the leg actually smashed him, as when we caught up to him again he was walking on flat ground and asking for painkillers as he was starting to hurt pretty badly (not in the normal, this running for 3.5 hours hurts kind of way).   We drugged him up with nurafen and then went to wait just few kms ahead, just to check he was ok. And much to our relief he actually looked a little better when he arrived..

 

So we left him and drove ahead 5k to Lunawanna. As we waited the kids posed on the beach for some photos for me..

 

 

They were having a pretty good time. Jett was mostly engrossed in The Hunger Games book so he mostly stayed in the car, but they both happy watching all the goings on on the race.   As I noticed in 2012, by this point in the race the solo runners sort of stay in the same order, so at each support point you know when your runner is coming by the appearance of the runners in front (last time it was Pink-Sock Woman). This time around Jon's fluctuating condition meant that I'd see different people before I saw him, but they still all belonged to the same herd of runners moving along at more-or-less the same pace as Jon.  Except for one guy. The guy we originally called 'Fast Runner Guy'. As he was really fast. So fast that when I first saw him hammering along I assumed that he'd started after Jon as he was clearly going to blast by him and finish hours ahead.   But then he got cramp. Bad Cramp.  Lying-on-the-ground-in-agony-cramp.  So there-after we called him 'Cramp Guy' - and while he stayed ahead of Jon, he didn't get much further ahead, in fact by the end of the race Jon was actually pegging him back.  At almost every support stop Cramp Guy would end up doubled over in pain when he stopped to get a drink.  We also drove past him once running along backwards up a hill, trying to avoid calf cramps I guess.  

 

So by this time we'd well and truly hit the gravel road and the start of the hills.  Denny's team ran past with the happy expressions that could only be found on relay runners and solo runners with better drugs than the ones we had. Nevertheless, Jon was still going along ok. He was moving decidedly better than when we saw him suffering near Alonnah, and importantly, he had enough time up his sleeve to be able to walk as he needed to. Which was often.   Which gave us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery as we waited at each stop..

 

And so he slogged on until the final 10k, where the hills got steeper and the pain was coming back. We hit him up with some more nurafen, the I pulled out my biggest weapon.. Zali.   She escorted him up and over one of the steepest hills and down the other side (which was apparently just as painful by that stage), until he was within sight of the finish..

 

The finish is at the lighthouse on the right hand side hill..


 

Then we left him to cover the last 4 k to the finish alone.   I let the kids out of the car to run up to the lighthouse to meet him at the finish line but unfortunately I got stuck in a bit of a gridlock trying to park so I didn't make it in time.  So the photos are of right after..

 

Happy faces all around!  Jon did around 7:30 this year which an hour slower than last time, but given his dodgy training and last couple of weeks, that's pretty good. And given how much he was suffering so early on, it's really impressive.  In fact, aside from Cramp-Guy who managed to hold him off, he finished ahead of the rest of his herd of, by then, very decrepit looking runners, including Flouro-Guy, Gut-Buster-Guy and Blue-Shirt guy.  Anyway, the time doesn't matter anymore - he's qualified for the Cradle Mt run now and he's got 14 months to prepare for it - hopefully he'll get a good nights sleep or two in between then and now!  


 

We're not even yet Ferry.

Saturday, 6 December 2014

 

We probably visit Bruny Island 3-5 times a year for various reasons including paddling, running, bushwalking and general touristing with friends.

To get to there you have to take a 15 minute ferry journey that leaves from Kettering, 20k south of here.  The ferry generally keeps to its timetable, but sometimes you might get to the ferry queue on time, but be left behind anyway because it gets full.  

In 2012 we had a bad run with the ferry, we kept missing it by a few minutes, or if we didn't miss it, we got left behind anyway. Once Jon and I arrived in separate cars just a few minutes apart  and he made it onto the ferry while I got left behind had to wait another hour.   We really had a run of bad 'ferry karma'.

In 2013 however,  balance was restored and we had an overall run of good luck and a few times we were the very last car to fit  ONTO the ferry, or we thought we'd missed it but it was running 'off' schedule so we made it anyway.   So we were even.

So this year, armed with my belief that it will pretty much all balance itself out in the end, we have had a fairly relaxed attitude towards the ferry - after all, we can't control if it's full or running early or late - we can only get ourselves there in good time and hope for the best.  Last weekend though, we were too relaxed. Heading back from our paddling adventure we didn't even bother to check the timetable (figuring the most we would have to wait would be an hour anyway) and after a 10 minute stop at the cheese factory, we arrived at the queue to see a ferry departing.  Much to our horror we then discovered that the next ferry was actually scheduled for a whole hour and 40 minutes later. I was also feeling really sick & feverish by that stage, so the long wait was really tedious. However I consoled myself with the fact that it was such high level of bad ferry karma,  that we would be granted some good ferry karma on some future journey.

That wasn't to be this morning though. So Jon could start his race early (you can start anytime after 4am), Jon slept over with friends on the Island last night and the kids and I planned to take the 7:45 ferry so that we would arrive to catch up and offer support services (food, drink, shoulders to cry on etc etc) to Jon after he'd been running for around 2.5 hours.   We had planned to leave home at 7 to arrive at the queue with an easy 20 minutes to spare to be assured of making it on as there would be extra traffic due to the race.   We actually left home 5 minutes earlier than that because I wanted to get petrol from Margate, about halfway there.   Everything was going to plan until I pulled into the petrol station and discovered I didn't have my wallet with me. Noooooo!

I didn't want to risk returning home and thus missing the ferry and leaving Jon for another hour and forty-five minutes to slog away without support (and wonder what happened to us) - so I did a quick check of my bag and found enough change straight away to give me belief that we might be able to put together enough cash (I thought we needed $20 or $25 but I wasn't sure).  So I set Zali and Jett onto the task of finding and counting coins while I kept driving and sure enough, by the time we got to Kettering they had scrounged up $25 exactly. Phew!  My relief was short lived though, as I approached the pay station I discovered that it was actually going to be $30.   

I decided that it was worth just explaining my situation to the pay station people and hoping that they would let me on - after all, it was only $5, and I'd be driving right past them on the way back with Jon's money so it would be no trouble to pay what I owed on the way home.    I was actually reasonably confident that this would be ok - embarrassing for me, but who would be so mean as to not help someone in this situation - I certainly would.   Who wouldn't? Well the cold-hearted meanies in the pay station that's who. It was all 'we can't, we're not allowed, we won't be here later blah blah blah'  - although when I started to sound quite desperate (while explaining what their refusal to temporarily let me off $5 fricking bucks would mean for Jon),  they partially relented and said that if  they could see some photo-id, then it might be ok. Of course I didn't have any photo id as it was in my f*&king wallet.   And there was absolutely no budging them from that position.   By this time I was so upset & frustrated that I just got out of the car, walked up to the people who had gone through the pay station in front of me - a group of 5 runners who had gotten out of their car to stretch their legs, and asked them if I could borrow $5 to get onto the ferry as I was $5 short.  Without a second's hesitation or any questions they gave me $5. Like most people, I recon they figured that if I was desperate enough to ask complete strangers for cash, I must really need it!   So I marched right back to the pay station, handed it over with my handfuls of change, got my ticket and made it onto the ferry.    Now it's true that I engineered this crisis myself,  but I feel their mean-spiritedness added to the debt of good-ferry-karma that I was now owed. 

So on the way back to the ferry at the end of the race we had to take a detour to pick up the other car that Jon had left near the start.  We found ourselves with less than 15 minutes until the ferry departed,  and about 15k of very windy road to drive to the terminal.   As we raced along - Jon zooming away in the green car,  me struggling along behind in the lesser powered red car - I envisioned myself being left on the island all by myself to stew, while Jon and the kids sailed homewards.   I guess the ferry gods were in fact feeling a bit guilty after the morning's incident as we made it with 30 seconds to spare and we were the last two cars onto the ferry - it was also so full that only one more car would have fitted on after us had they had time to make it.  

So we got some redress, however I feel we're still owed.

PS. On the ferry over I wrote down the registration number of the guys that helped me out, so I could repay them later.  Which I did.   Also when we got home I found my wallet just by the front door where it must have fallen out of my bag as we left. 

Adventure!

Monday, 1 December 2014

When I did my walk around the Labillardiare Peninsula recently I got to the end of the Peninsula and looked across to Partridge Island and hatched a plan..namely to round up my family and the family of experienced sea kayaker Dr Evil (John, Kim, Marcus & Zara),  and to sea kayak to Partridge Island for the night.  It's about a 9km journey each way mostly along the coastline with a small hop across to the island.

The first stage of the plan was easy - it just took one email to convince Dr Evil and get him onto the job of convincing his family.  It was a bit harder to convince Jon that we wouldn't need a helicopter on standby or at the very least a support boat trailing along behind us the whole way.   He came around in the end,  either that or I just went on with preparations anyway.

The last piece of the puzzle was getting hold of 4 double sea kayaks and a trailer, and we were fortunate to be able to borrow from an orienteering friend of ours who had everything we could possibly need.  

So with the gear collected, dry bags packed and life-jackets donned we found ourselves here, on Jetty Beach, at 11am Saturday ready to go:

  

And then we were away!

 

 

The weather on Saturday was pretty good, we had light trailing winds. The water ranged from green to deep blue.   20 minutes later we stopped at the newly declared Luncheon Beach, just around the point, for lunch.

  

 Then back on the water for the 8k paddle down to Partridge Island

 

 We briefly checked out the beach at the south end of the Island, before heading down to the jetty at the north end.  

 

Then landing!  

 

After getting settled the next thing on our agenda was to catch some fish for dinner. 

 

Jon caught a couple almost immediately but they were too small.  Luckily we had a backup plan that involved lashings of marshmallows and chocolate.

The next task was to  explore the internal part of the island. There was once a farm here and we could see the remnants of it with a few apple trees and oak trees as well as a large Norfolk Pine.  Currently the introduced plants and weeds are battling it out with the natives, and it seems like the blackberries are beating everything so the faint tracks marked on map were difficult to follow and petered out in a mass of blackberries. It would clearly be a good place to visit in late January! 

 

 

 Interesting we didn't see any wallabies or pademelons and the grass was long and lush. I read that rabbits were eradicated from the island some years ago which would also help.

Returning to the campsite we lit a fire and all had a nice evening playing with fire with surprisingly few casualties.

 

Whist the kids were fascinated with matches I was fascinated with the pruning saw Dr Evil had brought with him.  It was so handy to cut nice sized logs for the fire (from fallen wood of course) and not something you would normally have with you camping. Kayak camping is an interesting mix of car-camping (whereupon you bring everything), and hiking (where your priority is to travel light).  When you pack a kayak the biggest concern is volume rather than weight so you can take your pruning saw and your heavy lilo and your cask of wine, but you can't take your regular camping chair (as it's too long).   Dr Evil told me that it's not unusual for kayak-campers to pull whole ovens out of their boats.     Whilst this all sounds like the perfect way to camp (I mean who could pass up a pruning saw and cask of wine), kayak camping does have the problem of being more susceptible to weather than other forms of camping and some time during the night I woke up due to the sound of the wind picking up and the waves crashing against the shore.  In my sleepy state I started going through an inventory of the food we had and wondering how long it would last should we be stuck here for the day or longer waiting for the wind to calm down.  

Luckily when I finally got up the sea didn't look nearly as bad as it sounded and we packed up and pushed off on schedule at around 9am. The early departure was so that we would beat the even stronger winds forecast for the afternoon. The little bay we launched from was still nice and calm and green while the rest of the sea was grey and ominous looking. 

 

The wind ran slightly behind us which was good. That wasn't to say it was a calm journey back, in fact the the first leg across the bay was pretty wavey and bumpy but we all felt happy and stable in these wide boats.

 

 

Then before we knew it we were back on the beach and packing up.  I had been fighting off the Fleming Flu all night and day so by the time we hit Jetty Beach I felt decidedly unwell so no more photos from me as I just focussed on getting the kids into dry gear (they were always warm enough when we paddled but the moment we hit the shore they would be freezing), and getting gear into the back of the car. 

 

And so our 24 hour adventure came to an end.  It was really good fun and I think it would be good to paddle down to Cooks Beach at Freycinet sometime,  then camp the night and go up Mt Freycinet the next day, then paddle back on the third day. Taking a kayak rather than walking down would make it easier to get all the water down there that you need, plus the coastline is pretty nice along the way.  

From bad to worse.. and then better

Monday, 1 December 2014

Dr Evil pointed out that my creepy-bug experience while camping at the Hellfire Cup proves that the event is still cursed.   First Fire, then Flood, then of course Plague, or Pestilence if you like.   Can't believe I missed that.

Anyway, from Pestilence the whole tent situation moved quickly on to Bloody-Annoyance when I broke a tent-pole while trying to put gaffer tape over all the holes in the tent floor.  Tent poles are hard to replace at the best of times, and after checking I couldn't pilfer from my old macpac due to different diameters, I realised I was going to have to go back out to Anaconda.  

The tent is one year old but has a 2 year warranty which is great but I was worried that Anaconda would insist on taking the tent from me and sending if off for six weeks somewhere to assess the pole and discover if the fault was with me or with them (and just quietly, my guess is that it was with me). In anycase once they saw the state of the tent floor they would know I was some kind of weirdo tent abuser and I would be barred from the shop forever.  

In all honesty, the best I was hoping for was that I would be able to buy some replacement poles and be done with it.  

So I drove out to Cambridge and went in and explained that I broke a pole. They confirmed my fears that they didn't stock replacement poles but without even asking me HOW I broke the pole, they just gave me a whole new tent and said they would use my old tent's poles as replacements for other people (let's hope they don't offer out the tent floor as well! - I did explain to them the it was 'well worn') . So I guess one of the benefits of buying a tent from a supermarket-like camping store is that they don't have time to assess every single warranty claim that comes in. Their easiest and probably cheapest option is to just replace without question and move on, which is what happened. so yay!    

What Lurks Beneath..

Monday, 24 November 2014

For the last four days I've been volunteering as a timekeeper at the Helffire Cup - a possibly cursed 4 day mountain biking event featuring 8 different stages and many different formats (sprints, relays, enduros) . I say possibly cursed as its two previous outings have been plagued by fire and floods.  This year everything went really well so and I think the creators of the event finally got to demonstrate what they had in mind when they conceived it.  


I was part of a team of four or five, and I was more involved in the automatic timing system side of things rather than the human backup system of writing down plates and times.  I did this because I actually have a lot more interest in event timing systems, and I am also very bad at anything to do with numbers under pressure.  Once I worked out the system (RaceResult) I was able to make myself useful by generating all sorts of new reports and results as  required, and also trouble shooting a few things which was good fun.

So anyway - I saw a lot of this:

and also a lot of this!

 

This event involved camping out at Kellevie and I had a nice little tent setup as you can see below.  That's the kids tent under our marquee with blue rubber mats for comfort.  They were actually quite handy as it did get quite wet on one of the days.


What I didn't realise was that under the surface of my idyllic little camping spot lurked ferocious tent-eating bugs.  I found out when I came to pack up the tent on Sunday and I noticed the tent floor was dotted with about 15 little holes about 5mm in diameter. They weren't tears or rips, just neat little circular holes that look similar to the effect you get from embers on clothing or carpet (I know this as I noticed Zali's polar fleece has returned from a girl guides camp pockmarked with ember holes which is a little bit of a worry!).


When I lifted up my tent to look underneath i noticed there were corresponding holes in the ground underneath the tent.. like this..  I've taken the liberty of drawing some non-artistic impressions of what the bugs looked like - ferocious I think you'll agree.


So it's all kind of horrifying - as it means that while I was asleep in my tent, some ferocious bug emerged from it's creepily large hole in the ground and ate its way INTO THE TENT!  WHERE I WAS! aaargh!  There were no bugs inside the tent as i packed it up so perhaps they came out at night, partied, then retired to their holes for the day. 

And it wasn't like i was camped anywhere exotic - it was just a regular paddock as you can see. 

After examining the tent I packed up the rubber mats and found that some other bugs had unsuccessfully tried to eat their way through them too ! The blue fragments around these holes are their little mouthfuls of rubber mat I'm guessing.   They must have been cross they couldn't make it  all the way through to join the party!   If they had they would have looked like this I'm sure (note party hat and drink).


So yuk.  And also now I have to fix the tent - although I am pretty glad it was the kids cheap tent rather than my new macpac tent - that would have been way worse.

 

Eight-ish years of the Huon Show

Saturday, 15 November 2014

There's a lot to be said for keeping a blog. Especially when you have kids who just grow so fast!

We started going to the Huon Show the year we moved back here - in 2006.  Life was different then - I wasn't working (ok - so right now that bit is the same) - but the children were little - so it was quite the palava to get them anywhere - let alone to the show. It was still worth it though..

Here they are in 2006:

 

I can't find the original photos from 2007, but I still have my compilation that I posted here:

 

Yep. My yearly dagwood dog - A tradition I have maintained.

In 2008 there's proof the kids were growing - but only up to the bouncy things, rather than the big rides..

Also I got my best photos of the dog high jump in 2008. This year the winning dog (Nelson) didn't quite clear 2.30. In 2008 the winner (Sprocket on the left) cleared that height to win.

Growing up in 2009..I'm not sure why we have the photo of Zali swimming - although I guess we possibly had swimming lessons before we drove down to Huonville. Something we wouldn't attempt any more as it is a lot busier now - best to go early.

Unfortunately it looks like I was a bit lazy with the camera in 2010-2013  (although Jon probably has some on his phone) - but here they are so grown up in 2014..

As you could imagine it's a completely different experience going to the show now. Strollers and nappy bags are replaced with wallets and show bags - and much talk of budget limits.  Today I lent Zali my watch and we just met up at specified times as they both roamed free with their cousins and one of Jett's friends.  We still park in the paddock though - which smells of the show before you've even gone through the gates. Granny almost always comes with us which is nice - although we also allow her to roam free and meet up with her at the Dog Highjump at around lunchtime. 

I've got more to post about this years show - but it will have to wait - it's been a big day with the show, then I had a meeting in the city, then straight onto the school fair - until we finally arrived home after 7pm feeling sunburnt, wind burnt, broke and exhausted!

Sprung!

Saturday, 15 November 2014

Yesterday Jett and I were doing some errands in town while Zali swum.  We happened to walk past a Smiggle shop (colourful stationery that the kids love) and here is the ensuing conversation: 

Jett: Can we go in there and buy something?
Me: No, we don't need anything
Jett: But you are having a spending spree
Me (looking at the only item - a sieve - in my shopping bag) A spending spree ? But  look I only bought this sieve, and this is for Granny!
Jett: Well you and Daddy are having a spending spree
Me: Daddy?
Jett: Yes, the other day he bought a laptop AND a tablet
Me: huh?
Me: really?
Jett: Yes. 
Me: huh! Where did he buy them from ?
Jett: From home, on his computer
Me: (thinking he was probably just browsing and not buying) But did you see him actually hit the 'buy' button?
Jett: Yes definitely.  It costed (sic) a whole lot of money.
Me: huh. (dialling Jon's number)..
Me (to Jon on my mobile phone): Hey get this, Jett just said you bought a tablet and a laptop. That can't be right can it?
Jon: uh - sorry can't talk now got to get the pizza dough on.. [dial tone]

Me: hmmmm…

So. When I got home it turned out that Jon had in fact purchased a tablet, but not a laptop - Jett was confusing that with the Windows 365 subscription he'd got for us all. Anyway - remembering that the last time that Jon made a secret laptop purchase it was for this Macbook Air, which, as I happened to be at home to intercept it when it arrived, has been mine ever since. I guess I just need to clear my schedule for next week and I'll have a tablet as well.. cool!

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2014summary
The Nook Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Fluted Cape Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Kicking goals together Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Back in the dentist's chair.. Thursday, 25 December 2014
How I became an Importer Tuesday, 23 December 2014
meanwhile.. Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Last nights reindeer crime Tuesday, 23 December 2014
my cuties Monday, 22 December 2014
it's a dodgy neighbourhood Saturday, 20 December 2014
My Weekend Monday, 15 December 2014
Invites Sunday, 14 December 2014
Bruny Island Ultra Sunday, 7 December 2014
We're not even yet Ferry. Saturday, 6 December 2014
Adventure! Monday, 1 December 2014
From bad to worse.. and then better Monday, 1 December 2014
What Lurks Beneath.. Monday, 24 November 2014
Eight-ish years of the Huon Show Saturday, 15 November 2014
Sprung! Saturday, 15 November 2014
secret projects Saturday, 15 November 2014
Triple Tops - Part 3 Monday, 10 November 2014
Triple Tops - Part 2 Monday, 10 November 2014
Triple Tops - Part 1 Sunday, 9 November 2014
Nonsensical Friday, 7 November 2014
Friday Cutefest Friday, 7 November 2014
Experience the Unexpected Friday, 31 October 2014
Julie's final challenge.. Sunday, 26 October 2014
Panoramas Saturday, 25 October 2014
So..you go away for a bit and... Friday, 24 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #18 Friday, 24 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #17 Thursday, 23 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #16 Thursday, 23 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #15 Wednesday, 22 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #14 Wednesday, 22 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walks #11,12 & 13 Wednesday, 22 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #10 Wednesday, 22 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #9 Wednesday, 22 October 2014
quick update Tuesday, 21 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #8 Monday, 13 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #7 Sunday, 12 October 2014
Two more things Sunday, 12 October 2014
Adventures with Jett Part 2 Friday, 10 October 2014
Adventures with Jett Wednesday, 8 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #6 Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Bridport Day 5 Friday, 3 October 2014
Bridport Day 4 - Part 2 Friday, 3 October 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #5 Friday, 3 October 2014
Bridport Day 4 - Part 1 Friday, 3 October 2014
Bridport Day 3 Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Bridport Day 2 Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Bridport Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Perfect Timing Saturday, 27 September 2014
Just like a bought one.. Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Zali's ripper day Saturday, 13 September 2014
Random Stuff Saturday, 6 September 2014
Cake by Numbers Thursday, 4 September 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #4 Wednesday, 3 September 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #3 Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Sunday Screen Time Sunday, 31 August 2014
Jett is almost 9 Saturday, 30 August 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #2 Friday, 29 August 2014
Hats for Homeless Friday, 29 August 2014
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #1 Saturday, 23 August 2014
60 Walks - Intro Saturday, 23 August 2014
Smoke and mirrors Thursday, 21 August 2014
Winter Weekend on Maria Island Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Little Project #2 Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Little Project #1 Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Kickstarting myself. Wednesday, 13 August 2014
More Light Painting! Friday, 8 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 7 Friday, 8 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 6 Thursday, 7 August 2014
More Light Painting Wednesday, 6 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 5 Wednesday, 6 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 4 Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Story Time Tuesday, 5 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 3 Monday, 4 August 2014
Sydney 2000 Sunday, 3 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 2 Sunday, 3 August 2014
7 Visits in 7 Days: Day 1 Saturday, 2 August 2014
Dumb Luck vs Dumbness Thursday, 31 July 2014
Not the Best Ever Friday, 25 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Epilogue Monday, 21 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Bonus Project #2 Monday, 21 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #7 Monday, 21 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Failed Project Monday, 21 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Bonus Project Sunday, 20 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #6 Sunday, 20 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #4 Sunday, 20 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #5 Saturday, 19 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #3 Thursday, 17 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #2 Wednesday, 16 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Day #1 Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Challenge Week Clause 1.4a Tuesday, 15 July 2014
All dressed up and nowhere to go Sunday, 13 July 2014
7 Projects in 7 Days: Prologue Sunday, 13 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Epilogue Friday, 11 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #7 Thursday, 10 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #6 Wednesday, 9 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #5 Tuesday, 8 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #4 Monday, 7 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #3 Sunday, 6 July 2014
Stockpiling Gear Saturday, 5 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #2 Saturday, 5 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Day #1 Friday, 4 July 2014
7 runs in 7 days - Prologue Friday, 4 July 2014
Maclaren Vale Thursday, 3 July 2014
Photo Purge Thursday, 3 July 2014
Dark Hofo Part II Monday, 30 June 2014
Tour guides.. Monday, 30 June 2014
Chapel Hill Retreat Sunday, 29 June 2014
touchdowns.. Thursday, 26 June 2014
Dark Hofo Sunday, 22 June 2014
on a hat-trick. Saturday, 21 June 2014
Choosey Sunday, 8 June 2014
Long Weekend.. Sunday, 8 June 2014
neglect Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Glass Monday, 2 June 2014
Souvenirs Saturday, 31 May 2014
Birthday Presents Friday, 30 May 2014
Brrr Friday, 30 May 2014
I'm here! Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Before and After #29 Thursday, 15 May 2014
Way home.. Thursday, 15 May 2014
Just one last thing... Sunday, 11 May 2014
Holiday Quiz Saturday, 10 May 2014
Last Day on the Mainland Saturday, 10 May 2014
Tathra MTB Friday, 9 May 2014
Tathra Friday, 9 May 2014
Perfect Solution Friday, 9 May 2014
Canberra Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Spit Bridge to Manly Walk Sunday, 4 May 2014
Convict 100 Sunday, 4 May 2014
Elizabeth Bay Sunday, 4 May 2014
Bondi to Bronte Friday, 2 May 2014
Back in Sydney.. Thursday, 1 May 2014
Reptile Park Thursday, 1 May 2014
Lacing up Thursday, 1 May 2014
Glenworth Valley.. Thursday, 1 May 2014
Maitland Bay Thursday, 1 May 2014
Tweet Thursday, 1 May 2014
Running with shadows Thursday, 1 May 2014
Back in action Monday, 28 April 2014
Day off Monday, 28 April 2014
Forster and Myall Lakes Sunday, 27 April 2014
Wet n Wild Sydney Sunday, 27 April 2014
Blue Mountains Bushwalk - Day 2 Friday, 25 April 2014
And why library books shouldn't go camping.. Friday, 25 April 2014
Blue Mountains Bushwalk - Day 1 Friday, 25 April 2014
Easter Orienteering.. Thursday, 24 April 2014
Cowboy Attire.. Thursday, 24 April 2014
Gold! Thursday, 24 April 2014
Adult Supervision Required Thursday, 24 April 2014
..dancing down those dirty and dusty trails.. Thursday, 24 April 2014
Late nights, early mornings Friday, 11 April 2014
Swirly Roses Sunday, 30 March 2014
What to wear.. Sunday, 30 March 2014
The opposite of relaxing.. Friday, 28 March 2014
Cake! Friday, 21 March 2014
Minnamurra Wednesday, 19 March 2014
HBA -> ADL Monday, 17 March 2014
NSW.. really? Sunday, 16 March 2014
Pine Valley Bushwalk Part 3 Friday, 14 March 2014
Pine Valley Bushwalk Part 2 Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Pine Valley Bushwalk Part I Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Just Quickly.. Monday, 10 March 2014
it's not you, it's me. and my sport Part III Thursday, 6 March 2014
it's not you, it's me. and my sport Part II (b) Thursday, 6 March 2014
It's not you, it's me. and my sport Part II Wednesday, 5 March 2014
it's not you, it's me. and my sport, Part I Tuesday, 4 March 2014
New Letterbox Monday, 24 February 2014
How to improve the Winter Olympics Saturday, 22 February 2014
Book Blind Date Friday, 21 February 2014
Soggy Sydney Monday, 17 February 2014
I let myself down, I let my family down & I let my school down.. Thursday, 13 February 2014
Horses! Saturday, 8 February 2014
Blind Dates Saturday, 8 February 2014
Heavy Schedules and Small Details Friday, 7 February 2014
I dare you Monday, 3 February 2014
Wildside Wrap Sunday, 2 February 2014
Blog Maintenance! Saturday, 1 February 2014
Wildside Day 4 (plus 1) Friday, 31 January 2014
Wildside Day 4 Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Wildside Day 3 Monday, 27 January 2014
Wildside Day 2 Sunday, 26 January 2014
Wildside Day 1 Saturday, 25 January 2014
Wildside Day (minus) 1 Friday, 24 January 2014
Wildside Day (minus) 2 Friday, 24 January 2014
Painting Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Paddling Boot Camp Saturday, 11 January 2014
Special Talents Sunday, 5 January 2014
Portholes Saturday, 4 January 2014
Quiet Week Saturday, 4 January 2014
2014 - Doing different stuff Wednesday, 1 January 2014
K.I. Day 3 Saturday, 28 December 2013
K.I. Day 2 Friday, 27 December 2013
K.I. Friday, 27 December 2013
Belair National Park Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Special Talents Monday, 23 December 2013
The K2K Sunday, 22 December 2013
Takeaway Sunday, 22 December 2013
Morning Paddle Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Before and After #28 Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Milestones Sunday, 15 December 2013
Run-Sheet Sunday, 15 December 2013
Gingerbread Houses Sunday, 15 December 2013
It must be December.. Sunday, 1 December 2013
Not at all the plan..not even a bit Sunday, 24 November 2013
in other news.. Thursday, 21 November 2013
Winners are grinners! Saturday, 16 November 2013
Before & after #28 Friday, 15 November 2013
Triple Tops Mark IV Sunday, 10 November 2013
Lake Rosebery Paddle Sunday, 10 November 2013
Tullah Challenge Saturday, 9 November 2013
Assumptions Friday, 8 November 2013
Halloween Orienteering Sunday, 27 October 2013
Chocolate Saturday, 26 October 2013
Fine and Windy, with a chance of Sulkiness Saturday, 26 October 2013
Archives.. Friday, 25 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge - Part 3 Friday, 25 October 2013
In safe hands Friday, 25 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge - Part 2 Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Freycinet Challenge Part I Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Dogs and Babies Saturday, 19 October 2013
Mt Amos Sculpture Trail Friday, 11 October 2013
Contrasts Thursday, 10 October 2013
Walking Machines Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Fishing Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Mt Graham Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Restraint Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Overnight Hike Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #4 Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #3 Monday, 7 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys Part #2 Monday, 7 October 2013
Harrowing Journeys - Part I Sunday, 6 October 2013
McComb Swimming Carnival Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Fishy Update #3 Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Lift Lounging Wednesday, 2 October 2013
not so much riding Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Sensational Sydney Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Fishy Update #2 Tuesday, 17 September 2013
It's Back! Saturday, 7 September 2013
one of these things.. Saturday, 7 September 2013
Piñata Update Saturday, 31 August 2013
Fishy Update #1 Saturday, 31 August 2013
Home-Made Friday, 30 August 2013
We should have gotten meerkats Friday, 30 August 2013
Rainbows and Puppydogs Monday, 26 August 2013
Redbanks Sunday, 25 August 2013
Soccer Season Saturday, 24 August 2013
Bookweek.. Friday, 23 August 2013
Jon in the Winter Challenge Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Well this is quaint.. Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Winter Challenge 2013 Sunday, 18 August 2013
Preparation. Saturday, 17 August 2013
Proclamation Day Saturday, 17 August 2013
Inevitabilities Sunday, 11 August 2013
Saturday Afternoons Saturday, 10 August 2013
Sunrises Saturday, 10 August 2013
Re-surfacing.. Saturday, 10 August 2013
look! Saturday, 10 August 2013
Magic Melbourne Thursday, 1 August 2013
Sunday Paddle Sunday, 21 July 2013
Saturday Paddle Saturday, 20 July 2013
The novelty is over Saturday, 20 July 2013
Happy Birthday Me! Sunday, 14 July 2013
and in other news.. Saturday, 13 July 2013
Egg Island Circumnavigation Saturday, 13 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIIIII - wrap up Tuesday, 9 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIIII Tuesday, 9 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part IIII Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part III Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part II Monday, 8 July 2013
The Icebreaker Part I Sunday, 7 July 2013
Nerves Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Frosty Toes Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Going Up Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Aurora Chasing Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Monster Cake Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Dark Mofo Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Mona Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Working in Miniature Sunday, 16 June 2013
Wheels.. Friday, 14 June 2013
Aurora Chasing Saturday, 8 June 2013
Tas Sprint Champs Saturday, 8 June 2013
Beautiful Bicheno Saturday, 8 June 2013
Saturdays Friday, 7 June 2013
Soccer Buddies Friday, 7 June 2013
Utensil Update III Friday, 7 June 2013
Doing the Hard Yards Friday, 7 June 2013
Small Change Sunday, 26 May 2013
Sunday Morning Paddle Sunday, 26 May 2013
Work Friday, 24 May 2013
Not great value Friday, 24 May 2013
Today was not a good day for Mr Fish.. Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Utensil Update II Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Utensil Update Friday, 17 May 2013
Having fun with the children.. Thursday, 16 May 2013
Mini Cupcakes Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Ye Olde Hobart Sunday, 12 May 2013
Dog People Sunday, 12 May 2013
Early Mornings Sunday, 12 May 2013
North West Bay Sunday, 5 May 2013
Tip Trip Sunday, 5 May 2013
Sculpture Trail Friday, 26 April 2013
New Bike Monday, 22 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 3 Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 2 Monday, 15 April 2013
Wombat 100 Part 1 Monday, 15 April 2013
Disco Zali Sunday, 14 April 2013
Spirit of Tasmania Saturday, 6 April 2013
Last Day.. Saturday, 6 April 2013
Mt Buller Summit Friday, 5 April 2013
What we're not doing this winter.. Friday, 5 April 2013
Jon's Ride Friday, 5 April 2013
you win some, you lose some, and then you get sick.. Friday, 5 April 2013
You win some, you lose some Friday, 5 April 2013
Luna Park Friday, 5 April 2013
Metropolitan Meerkats Friday, 5 April 2013
Bendigo and surrounds Monday, 1 April 2013
Cape Huay and the Three Capes Project Monday, 25 March 2013
Tarn Shelf Walk Sunday, 24 March 2013
Canberra Sunday, 24 March 2013
Capital Punishment 50k Monday, 18 March 2013
The Best Bike Bag Ever Friday, 15 March 2013
Lovely Kids Saturday, 9 March 2013
Beach Shadows Saturday, 9 March 2013
The best leg Monday, 4 March 2013
Summer Survival Monday, 4 March 2013
Sunday Night Dinner Monday, 4 March 2013
Bruny Island Paddling Weekend Sunday, 24 February 2013
Cuteness Friday, 22 February 2013
For Dr Evil Thursday, 21 February 2013
Almost Perfect Thursday, 21 February 2013
Lucky lucky lucky Thursday, 21 February 2013
Complaints Thursday, 21 February 2013
My thoughts exactly! Thursday, 14 February 2013
Lunchtime Ride Thursday, 14 February 2013
Our new pet Sunday, 10 February 2013
Modern Family Sunday, 10 February 2013
Blue Dragon Part 2 Sunday, 10 February 2013
The Blue Dragon Part 1 Saturday, 9 February 2013
Wardrobe! Thursday, 31 January 2013
Mad Monday Monday, 28 January 2013
Jetty Beach, Bruny Island Sunday, 27 January 2013
Thursday night paddling group Sunday, 27 January 2013
News Flash Thursday, 24 January 2013
Sunday Paddle Sunday, 20 January 2013
I have perfect eyebrows. Thursday, 17 January 2013
Little Adventures Sunday, 13 January 2013
Maria Island Friday, 11 January 2013
Face painting Friday, 11 January 2013
before & after #27 Friday, 11 January 2013
bang for your buck Monday, 7 January 2013
Surfing at Maria Island Sunday, 6 January 2013
Slide of Doom Sunday, 6 January 2013
Picture Perfect Sunday, 6 January 2013