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Tuesday, May 4. 2010Europe 2002-3 Blog Fixed
The link over to the left goes to the almost-daily blog and pictures we kept during our Europe 2002-3 trip. When I moved webhosts I neglected to quality check it and have only just fixed a few little issues which were stopping the blog from working.
Also, the "Time Machine" which provides a quick link to a certain number of years ago today is fixed so that we can re-live our trip each day, but in a much cheaper fashion. This is all custom code and today (or even when we went again for our Honeymoon in 2006) I'd do it quite differently, using flickr and/or one of the many online travel blogging services which did not exist in any form in 2002.
Posted by Alison Gould
in Blogging, Europe 2002-3, Site News
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22:23
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Monday, August 24. 2009Reunited, Land, Fires, Family
I'm absolutely overjoyed to have my girls back home again! They returned safely Friday morning (no thanks to Malaysian Airlines' website with wrong times on it, nor the airline in general with indifferent service and poor treatment). The trip was a great success, with them visiting friends and family in many parts of England. Photos to follow once I've seen them first :)
It's been a rather busy weekend since then, starting with me getting to know Phoebe again. I'm so happy that she seems much more attached to me now, perhaps absence makes even the young hearts grow fonder. It certainly has done for me, for both of them. While they were away, I went shopping for land to build a house on. Where we are living now is a truly fantastic house, in a great position, but I'm glad we tried out the place before buying because, in ways we almost can't articulate, it's not really "us". It's too ostentatious, not energy or water efficient enough, has a tennis court that disagrees with my knees, and which is also part of the problem of the backyard. One acre is big enough to grow food and/or graze animals, but not really when a good deal of that is taken up with a tennis court. So, we've all but decided that we want to build. I originally was on the lookout for land right in town at Picton, but have branched out across Razorback, which has the benefit of being closer to work, friends and family, and also being cheaper for the same size block. Not to mention that there are much larger blocks available, such as our current favourite that we're researching after I took Liz there and she concurred - 12.5 bushland acres close to a great little Primary School. Phoebe had a great time chasing animals and spotting ducks on the dam, so I'm sure she'll love it there too. It is however in a bushfire-prone area, but I have new-found confidence that we'll be able to design to cope (and plan to get out) in that worst-case scenario, after yesterday putting out a fire in a neighbour's backyard. They were burning off something or other, and the high winds carried some ashes across into their garden. Nobody home, nor anyone in the house between them and us, so I went in, called the fireies for backup and found that their garden hose just reached long enough to drench the area. If I hadn't have had the day off work, and Liz wasn't home either, then the outcome could have been much worse. Fireies arrived just in time to say "nice work mate, that'll do it" and left a calling card for the owner to get in touch with them. Burning-off is crazy at the best of times, but with gale-force winds predicted, and so much dryness around, it's pure idiocy. Luckily Liz had the car packed and Phoebe ready to go for a worst-case scenario. Which we both hope to never see. Unfortunately that car almost remains packed, with one of my grandmothers suffering a heart-attack up in Nambucca. I'm on the train to work now but might be off for a quick drive up the coast later today or this week, depending on how that progresses. She's stable but heavily impacted last I heard. So a very eventful weekend, let's see what this week has in store.
Posted by Alison Gould
in Build on Razorback, Family, Real Life, Travel
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21:05
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Sunday, August 2. 2009Opposite Sides of the World
Liz and Phoebe are currently in the UK with Liz's mum Margaret, traveling to a memorial service for Margaret's brother who was lost at sea 30 years ago. Having traveled so far they have of course elected to wrap the trip in a month or so re-exploration of the Kingdom.
They've just spent a week in London and have literally just collected a car, off to meet up with Margaret's other brother Peter. I know this because due to the magic of Skype, Dad and I have just had a great video call with Liz, Phoebe and Margaret who purchased a hash brown or two to use McDonalds wifi in Orpington! McDonalds is branching out, not content with being the world's most convenient and locatable chain of public toilets, they now offer free wifi under the same banner! Anyway, from what I saw on the video, and the great photos Liz has been taking (thanks to Skype's screen sharing), Phoebe is bigger, cleverer and generally having a great time back with her spiritual ancestors in the UK (and some squirrels, ducks and pigeons too). Unfortunately there's still sleep issues and now without me to take over in the middle of the night it's harder on Liz, but they all appear to be having fun. Of course, I miss them terribly, and while the video is absolutely fantastic it just brings it all to the fore again, and I wish that my girls were back by my side. Yes, I think even in some convoluted way I miss the broken sleep, just because she is my little bubba. She always seems a little confused but generally very happy to see me on the screen once Liz and I get the chat going, and this time with Grandpa too! Sunday, March 8. 2009On The Road Again
I'm writing this after watching the sunrise over Coffs Harbour - we're taking my belated Christmas Holidays and seeing some of our beautiful country.
Thus far we've stopped in some obvious and not-so-obvious places with the rough goal of visiting friends in Brisbane and then turning around again. Our parents have taken the opportunity to borrow our house and live in the country for a little while - good for them! We were a bit apprehensive about how Phoebe would cope with the travel - but we shouldn't have worried. She's fantastic in the car, loves exploring the rooms each night, and delights in finding familiar things like her bag of toys amongst the sea of new experiences. As for sleep, well that's improved out of sight in the last two months, but is still a challenge at times - as evident from the fact that I've been up an hour now and Liz had a very broken night's sleep. Compared to where we were for over a year with her waking randomly every hour or so though, it's a world of difference. Most nights she now sleeps through from 7-9 through to about 6:30 with either no or only minor wakings due to a lost dummy or similar. We've seen how bad it can be, and this is heaven! Traveling, we have no fixed plans each day - perhaps to Byron Bay tonight, stopping at a few interesting sounding little places we've heard of but never been to. On the way south from Brisbane (or as far as we get with cyclones approaching) we'll most likely take the inland road to see some of the great country towns there. Pictures are all here. Wednesday, October 29. 2008AwayMonday, June 30. 2008Blue Mountains trip
We got back yesterday from a great long weekend away staying in a house in Wentworth Falls with friends Sarah, Derek and Pearl. It was quite a lot of fun as an over-sized family and a great place to stay.
The photos tell most of the story, but highlights include:
Posted by Alison Gould
in Cycling, Family, Real Life, Travel
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04:41
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Thursday, June 12. 2008Robertson
I'm in the middle of a week off work (well earned, in my humble opinion!), and one of the things we wanted to do was have a couple of days break from Sydney.
A big of searching landed us with Robertson, a small town half-way between Bowral and the coast. We'd stopped there on a steam train ride and despite the horrendous rain that day (Robertson has a huge annual rainfall) we had fond memories of it. After discounting most of the accommodation (why are Aussie B&Bs so expensive??), we landed on the huge old manor of the town, Fountaindale. This is known to most people we've mentioned the trip to as Ranleigh House, which it was called for most of its life. I sold it to Liz as coming across a bit like Fawlty Towers, and once we arrived, we found I was more correct that we had hoped I would be! It wasn't bad, but for the prices they charge (lucky we were getting a hefty discount) you'd expect heating in the rooms. Especially when you arrive with a six month old and my wife who would probably have preferred to be on the coast somewhere very very warm :) The charm of the place would have been great in its day, but it needs some serious work to compete - we won't be returning unles they do some major work. Anyway, the town was nice enough - one pub, a few cafés, galleries, etc. Disturbingly many places recently closed for business though, which is never good to see in a small town. I'd taken the bike and set off one afternoon when the weather permitted for a ride up the little-used railway line. Fountaindale actually had it's own station, which would have been a grand way to arrive back in 1924 when it was first built. On the way back home yesterday we stopped at the newly-opened Illawarra Fly treetop-walk. This was quite a bit of fun, although not one for the vertigo-afflicted! All three of us had a great time walking around, even when it was rather high up! They'd done a reasonable job of making it fit in with the surroundings, and it's all sustainably done with water tanks, no flashy signs, etc. Worth a visit if you're in the area, for the great views across to the coast, and the chance to bounce the cantilever sections to annoy those not big fans of heights in your group :) Phoebe slept mostly in her porta-cot, and some times with us in the King-sized bed, which was a pleasant bonding experience for us. Tuesday, May 27. 2008Woodford to Glenbrook Careflight Charity Ride - Sponsor Me!
A few friends and I are entering the Woodford to Glenbrook Classic, a ride which aims to raise proceeds for NRMA Careflight.
I'll be pestering people to sponsor me, so here's some advance warning to save a bit of cash up for when I find you :) Or even better, come ride with us for added fun factor. Hopefully my newly-rebuilt mountain bike will be up to the task, or more accurately hopefully I am up to the task, as mechanic and rider! We're making a weekend out of it, staying with some friends up the mountains for a nice winter weekend getaway. Thursday, March 27. 2008Off to Newcastle
Now and then I find myself having to travel to Newcastle for work as we have a large operation up there, and tonight is another one of those times.
Liz and Phoebe are coming up as well so we should have a chance to wander around the town and see what it's all about. There's quite a lot of history to the place that us Sydney-siders generally dismiss. It'll be nice to get out of town for a while, hopefully Phoebe travels well and sleeps ok in the hotel room. Monday, November 12. 2007Babymoon
We're away for a couple of days down the coast at Huskisson having what appears to be called a Babymoon - last holiday as two before you become three.
A fair bit of lazing on the beach this morning and now we're back at our great little B&B, where we had a great fresh fruit breakfast before setting out earlier on. The Baby Shower which Liz had was great apparently, there were plenty of people over to wish her well and of course now the baby's room is bulging with various gifts. I decided she wasn't allowed to have all the fun and ran a Beerby Shower in parallel, with all the boys around showering me with beer. Of course now the back bathtub is bulging with various interesting beers. Thanks to everyone for attending both, and for your wishes. Not long now - only twenty days! As of yesterday we are officially "full term" - 37 weeks is near enough. So, there's not much point fighting it if labour starts. Which is why we brought the hospital bags down with us in the car. Friday, November 9. 2007I declare closed the investigation
Just received the letter below from Portugal, which Google Translate has helped me gather is to tell us that the inquiry into our car being broken into in Óbidos is now closed due to lack of evidence.
To add to the fun of reading the original Portuguese to type in to the translator, some of the words hadn't printed properly so I am left to make educated guesses about a language I know two words in. Announced themselves to V. Exa, as a Denunciante, which was delivered in the order of filing survey referenced above, resulted in a complaint lodged against DESCONHECIDOS, pursuant to art. 277 of Code of Criminal Procedure, with its reopening arise if new evidence which invalidem the pleas in that order-art. 279, paragraph 1, of the same diploma legality. Anyway, obrigado, Portuguese police! Or should that be "Due in low"? Thursday, October 25. 2007Things
Well, you can probably guess from the slackness in blogging I'm showing here that life has been busy. The most obvious reason is of course the baby who is showing all signs of being healthy, and arriving early December. The midwife thinks possibly earlier, but we'd rather it not because she is away until the end of November.
There's modern cloth nappies galore here now, and buckets for dirty ones, plus of course clothes, wraps, furniture, car seat, pram, you name it. I've heard it described as the biggest consumer spend a couple goes through (after housing), and it's truly scary what some companies tell you that you 'need' to have. We've been to birthing and parenting classes and spent countless hours reading stuff online so apparently we now know all, true experts in the field. Except it will of course have no bearing on the reality of actually having a child to look after 24 hours a day. It was interesting to compare out situation to others in the class though - we're much better off and more prepared than several others, so that gives us a bit of hope. Trying to organise a couple of short holidays before the due date too. Some other quick point-form news:
Posted by Alison Gould
in Cycling, Family, Honeymakers, Jersey Kerb, Net, Photography, Real Life, Travel
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22:15
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Tuesday, September 11. 2007Sydney Planning
Cycled up to The Rocks last night for a truly inspiring talk by Jan Gehl. This is the Danish guy who has turned global cities into places you might actually want to live, the closest success to home being inner-city Melbourne.
In a move with a change of making me respect a politician, Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore has engaged Jan to provide his views on Sydney, which makes for amazing reading. (There will apparently be a podcast/vodcast of the talk available here - well worth your time). I think after our European travels, the main reason I want to live in places like Paris, Amsterdam, Munich or Copenhagen is that they are just great, friendly places to be. Cars have their place outside the center, but the right there in the middle is a place for people. To meet, to be entertained, to relax, and to watch. Sydney's CBD just is no use for that. The only public spaces worth talking about are disjoint, and at all times as a pedestrian you are less important than the car. Jan's work on other more visionary cities is but a dream here in Sydney. After the talk, I changed into my cycle gear and pedaled back to Kogarah. In the city traffic, making the best of what cycle 'lanes' are on offer. More nightmare than dream. Clover, I challenge you to step up to the plate and implement 100% of the recommendations when you get them later this year, as Melbourne did. Perhaps we will be less inclined to consider the Southern city a place to live, which we did much to our disgust after traveling there last year and being blown away by how good an Australian city could be.
Posted by Alison Gould
in Cycling, Environment, Sydney, Travel
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22:47
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Saturday, July 7. 2007Famous! (sorta)
The folks over at Schmap have quite a good travel resource that I have to admit I'd never heard of.
Until I got a mail from them a little while back asking if they could use one of my Creative Commons-licenced photos in the Sydney edition of their travel guide. You can see the results here - the great 3801 steaming up at Central. Sunday, July 1. 2007Happy Birthday To ME!
It's been a great day so far, life is very very good!
I'm posting this from Storey Grange B&B, which is a gorgeous little place. Look, here's a photo to prove it! We're having a few days up here in the mountains to get out of Sydney one a little pre-baby escape. Not to put down any of the presents that people were kind enough to give me, but none of them could compare with the ultrasound on Friday. The news is 100% positive, and the experience was so amazing that we have to share a bit of it with you - see just how lazy the baby is here. That's crazy, hidden inside my wife. Wow. The gig after that went off pretty well too, once we had warmed up a bit. By far the biggest challenge we face there is that we aren't allowed a sound check (it scares the regulars away apparently), and hence have to mix through the beginning of our set. And I mix. Between playing bass, sax, flute, and guitar. But hey, the buzz of the ultrasound was still better. And yes, we did find out what gender the baby is, but that will remain our little secret for a while :)
Posted by Alison Gould
in Family, Jersey Kerb, Real Life, Travel
at
08:35
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