And That Was 2006 ... !!!

Well here it is, the 31st December 2006, my mum's 93rd birthday ... Happy Birthday Mim ... and both she and I have survived another year. Frankly I think she will outlast me but that's another story.

It has been quite a year on many fronts, both at home and in the world in general. The Sunday papers are full of the Saddam Hussain execution and I for one join in the millions who wish him a speedy descent into hell. No doubt the bleeding hearts will carry on about the death penalty and all that but Saddam was a cancer on society and like all cancers, had to be cut out and destroyed.

Anyway, as I look back on the year I find a couple of significant events in our corner of the world. I guess my biggest thrill for the year was going to India back in September with my mate Ian Finlayson. The trip of a lifetime and although the Himalayas were shrouded in cloud, there were other things that made up for that. Meeting Tamkey the Tibetan monk and his sidekick Lekshey was one of the highlights of not only the trip but of my life. We correspond by email regularly and his simple, gentle words are a calming force in my otherwise often frantic life.

Of even more significance for 2006 is the fact that Nicholas and Liz escaped uninjured when his Hilux rolled in the wet conditions on the first Sunday Ian and I were away in Darjeeling. They didn't tell me until I returned and I don't even want to think about the consequences if they had been injured but suffice to say, maybe the Himalayan gods were shining all the way back here on that fateful day.

Andrew (Tip) and Heidi were engaged after his proposal on the 7am Sydney to Coolangatta Virgin Blue flight. Once again, this was while I was away so I don't know what that all means. Anyway, congratulations to them both.

We were all anxious at the news that my step-brother Max has a serious illness and we all wish him the best in the difficult months ahead. If you are into it, a prayer wouldn't go astray.

Except for those memorable events it was otherwise, a pretty normal year. A few birthdays, anniversaries and family events rounded out the important stuff. Who knows what 2007 will bring. Maybe some of Tamkey's compassion and gentleness will rub off on me and maybe I will handle things a bit better. That's my resolution anyway.

Have fun and be safe.......

So this is what Rain looks like!

I'm not sure if anyone actually reads all this waffle but for what it's worth, I hope you had a pleasant Christmas and I wish you a safe and happy New Year. Hard to believe that 2007 is only days away. Was a time when I reckoned if I made it to 2000 I would have done well.

Anyway, as most people realise, we've had a one in a whatever-hundred years drought in Australia (who kept any records all those years ago!) and we're down to 30-something percent in our main Sydney Dam, Warragamba. The morons running the show have the foresight of a house-fly and I reckon they spend most of their time praying for rain hoping we won't string them up when the water finally runs out. But we have our own little water storage project happening here at The Purfleet Annex and as I write a bloody great thunderstorm has just passed through with hail and rain and wind and all those other natural wonders. The smell of fresh ozone lingers in the garden and the birds have ventured back to sing their thanks for a thorough drenching. Even Toka looks happy.


In keeping with the Balinese theme of our garden and having just returned from the Himalayas I was keen to hoist a couple of Tibetan prayer flags. So Simon and I ventured out to Maraylya and grabbed a couple of bamboo poles (each about 20 feet long) and erected them on the Bali Hut. Sensational ... even after a thunderstorm!!!

In Our Lifetime

My recent post about the moon landing and the momentous events that have occurred in my lifetime got me to thinking ... always dangerous ... What other important events, discoveries, milestones and inventions have happened in your lifetime. To start the ball rolling let's start from 1906, exactly 100 years ago this year, and see what we can come up with.

The kind of things are those that will go down in history as important events and people will read about them in hundreds of years time. They should be events that have happened IN YOUR LIFETIME not just the past 100 years.

To jog your memory here are some of the things on my list ...

The First Man in space
Man Landing on the Moon
The destruction of the Berlin Wall
The Beatles
Finding the Titanic

Leave your list of things that have happened in your lifetime as a comment and we'll see where we end up.

Anna's B&B Redcliffe

My Brisbane client MTAI hold their annual Christmas party in late November each year and I've been to the last eight but this year is their 20th Anniversary so a big event was planned. Liz had 4 days off so she decided to come along for the ride but MTAI CEO Terry Behan graciously invited Liz to the gala dinner to be held at the exclusive Brisbane Club.

It was a chance to take Liz's new Mazda 3 for a good run and we'd see Mim along the way so we headed north on Monday and drove through to the Twin Towns at Tweed Heads where we stayed for a couple of nights. The resort is sensational and world class so we can highly recommend it. The cost is not much more than what the local motels are charging for a bare-bones room with old facilities. The buffet breakfast in Signatures restaurant is worth the price of admission alone.

A couple of years ago I read an article in the SMH Travel Section about Anna's B & B at Redcliffe on Brisbane's north side. So I booked online and we arrived at Anna's on Wednesday. It's located just one street back from Sutton's Beach and only a short walk from the main coastal township of Redcliffe.

The two chooks (garden ornaments) guarding the entrance is an indication that this is not an ordinary B & B and indeed Anna Joyce's penchant for the unusual can be seen everywhere from the detailed figurines adorning the bedside tables to the daily feeding of the young magpies at the kitchen window.

There are 3 guest rooms, each with their own ensuite and comfortable beds but the attention to detail was not lost on us as we admired the fresh soft towels and washers tied in white silk ribbon carefully placed on the pillows.

Breakfast is served on the upstairs balcony and it's self-serve but fresh yogurt and cereal is available followed by a full cooked breakfast which puts to shame the normal scraps served up at most motels.

As well as excellent accommodation you get to meet a real character, Anna Joyce, who has lost none of her Irish accent and she will enthrall you with wonderful stories of her childhood in Ireland and other interesting times in her life. We could spend hours chatting with her and next time we will.

Redcliffe itself is an interesting seaside town with a swag of eateries and coffee shops and it's only about 45 minutes from the centre of Brisbane. Definitely a place to stay out of the city and we will certainly be staying at Anna's next time.

Thanks Anna for a very enjoyable stay at your excellent B & B.

Here's the website for those who are interested... Anna's B & B