Charlie Gets Mobile

Not content with being shown up by the Old Man, Charlie headed off to Anaconda and bought a new Fluid Richochet bike, complete with hydration pack and all the mod cons.



So today we were off on our first ride together ... the Bridge to Bridge loop which is about 11 kilometres in total. A great day for a ride and plenty of eye exercises along the way. Charlie didn't have to walk up any of the steep hills like I did (there are only a couple of short ones) but I'm keeping him away from Mitchell's Pass for a while yet.

The Nepean Bridge to Bridge route as per our Qstarz Data Logger...

Justice for King Kyle!

 

Only the Aussies will appreciate the irony here.

While cleaning out the bird cage I grabbed a sheet of newspaper, and without looking at it, laid it on the floor of the cage. I normally use sand but didn't have any handy. However as I laid out the page the article struck me as very appropriate. King Kyle, that overpaid, arrogant and talentless moron, will be the recipient of my Cockateil's little deposits for the next few weeks.

Very fitting I reckon!

Getting more adventurous

 

I've missed a couple of days due to wet weather so this morning I reckoned I needed to make up for it. This is despite my stress test on Monday which I handled a lot easier, due no doubt to the riding last week.

Anyway today I ventured out and skipped the coffee at the Chatterbox and headed for the M4 bridge and rode down the eastern side of the river and via Victoria Bridge back home. I've never been along the pathways on the eastern side of the Nepean but there is a walking/cycling track from the M4 bridge down almost to the Log Cabin. Some nice scenery too, and not just the young ladies on their morning walk!

I came back via Zokoko where I had a sensational coffee, chatted to the ladies, and grabbed a couple of packs of fresh roasted beans.

Total today almost 12 kilometres and the old hip feeling the workout. Tomorrow I'll take the camera.

Only the Good Die Young

 

Just a couple of weeks after I caught up with my old school mate Garth Robinson, I received a call out of the blue from another old chum, Chris Pettit. I'd seen Chris at a Pittwater High School reunion about 6 years ago so it was nice to hear from him.

But Chris told me that another of our old mates, Geoff Sheehan, had succumbed to skin cancer just a few months ago. This was a great shock as Geoff had been a great friend and although we'd not touched base for about 12 months I had no idea he had passed on. We would catch up every year or so and Geoff was always caught up in some high profile venture, the last being involved with the Packers in Vanuatu online gambling.

Geoff was a real character and his claim to fame was when he was a fighter pilot in the RAAF at Williamtown, he was on a low-level sortie along the coast down to Nowra in a Maachi jet. Of course his track took him past our old hometown of Newport so, as he flew past at about 200 feet he decided to buzz the guys at the Newport Arms. He did this not once but a couple of times and he did the same thing the next day.

The RAAF were not amused so he was given the option, fly a desk for a couple of years or resign. Geoff being Geoff decided to pursue another career so it was with sadness that he clipped his own wings.

By the way, as Chris tells the story, Geoff had a skin discolouration which, like most blokes, he didn't get checked out. When it was finally diagnosed as cancerous he lived just 2 weeks. There's a warning there.

A Nice Day for a Ride

 

Well I've been up and riding every morning this week and managing longer distances each day. The City to Surf was held this morning so I decided to do my bit and attemp a longer ride today. I took the data logger which maps the route and even has the speed and altitude although I can safely say I didn't reach Flight Levels on this ride... maybe next week.

The old hip knows it is getting a work-out but it feels a lot better during the day and I'm hopeful my 6-monthly stress test tomorrow will be easier. Each 6 months for the last 7 years I've declared that I will exercise before the next one so it won't be so tiring but I never do it. So tomorrow will be interesting.

What's Next? Lycra!

 

Ok... so I haven't ridden a bike for almost 15 years, I haven't worn sneakers for at least 5 years and I need a hip replacement (and a few other replacements!) ... but ... at 58 I am determined to get fit enough to be able to stay out of the NSW Hospital system for a few more years and to be able to bounce my grand-children on my knee some day. So this is my new bike (thanks to the encouragement of Tip) and I'm off on my first ride down to get the mail.

Liz is sceptical of course but she's dreading the time that I might drag on a new set of lycras. Stay tuned.

In the meantime I'm gonna try and get Ben and Roy into the saddle!

A Blast from the Past

A couple of days ago I received a message on Facebook from a bloke who I haven't seen for 40 years. Garth Robinson was my first friend when I went to Newport Primary School in 1957. We were best mates all through those school years and when we finished High School in 1969 we drifted apart.

Over the years I often wondered what had become of Garth and I tried to locate him through the net but never had a clue where he was or what he was doing... until 3 days ago when I received a message through Facebook. I don't hang out on Facebook but a few of my details are there and Garth only joined it a few days before and when he entered the name of his old school, lo and behold there was my name.

I must confess it was a pretty emotional moment when, after a few emails back and forth, I heard his voice on the phone after 40 years. We have a lot to catch up on and the bonus is that Garth's sister Gail and Liz were good friends during school. So a big meetup is planned and no doubt we'll spend more than a few hours filling in 40 years.


Garth and his son Konrad - Taken the day after we made contact after 40 years!

Gran Torino

I've just finished watching Clint Eastwood's latest movie Gran Torino. He acted in and directed the film and they say it is probably his last acting role.

The film is a giant leap from the Clint of old days when Dirty Harry sorted out the hoodlums and crims with his trust 44 magnum or the un-named stranger in the westerns who could outdraw anyone.

Gran Torino is a strange kind of vehicle for Eastwood to finish on as it has a surburban setting and feel and I couldn't help wondering what was the point of it all. Maybe it is his way of saying that we all get old and can't do the things we used to do, like blow away a couple of neighbourhood hoodlums who terrorise him and his new Hmong neighbours.

In the end, Clint confronts the gang and is filled full of lead in a blaze of machinegun fire. His motive was to let them kill him in front of witnesses so they could be arrested and charged with his murder. It doesn't have quite the same impact as "Well punk, do you feel lucky?".... click... boom!

But once again Eastwood has added another phrase to our everyday language... "Having a Torino Moment". I have them all the time!

58 Not Out!

Almost 6 years ago to the day I was in Nepean Hospital being pumped full of drugs in an attempt to stave off a heart attack. Well I survived that one due to the skill of a wonderful cardiac surgeon Dr Mark Cooper and despite some problems in the meantime, diabetes and needing a hip replacement, I made 58 a week ago.

We just had a quiet family lunch at the newly opened Coffee Club down by the Nepean River. As I say, Every Day You Get Vertical Is A Good One!

The Lowest Point in Australian TV History

I hardly know where to start this and I have purposely put off writing this because I have been absolutely filthy over the Chaser stunt involving the Make a Wish Foundation.

If you don't know what I am talking about then it's best you remain ignorant of the issue as it is the lowest point in Australian TV history and that's not just my assessment of the segment which went to air on the ABC a couple of weeks ago.

After the usual TV executive bullshit and spin, the CEO of the ABC Mark Scott has finally demoted... yes demoted but not sacked ... Amanda Duthie, the head of ABC Comedy. In my opinion, and that of thousands of other Australians, she and the whole Chaser team of morons should be sacked and publically shamed at every opportunity. To make kids with terminal illness the subject of a so-called satirical skit is in the worse taste but what amazes me even more are the morons and half-wits who support the Chaser and in particular the skit in question. It really says something of the society we live in today.

I know this sounds cruel but I really hope Duthie and the Chaser idiots contract a terminal illness... then lets see if they think that's funny.

Sanity Prevails after Public Outrage

Well after weeks of public outrage, Nicola Roxon and the bureaucrats in Canberra have finally come up with the measly few bucks to send Pauline to the US for her life-saving operation. It's amazing what a bit of public stirring in the right place can do and I know Alan Jones on Sydney radio station 2GB and some of his colleagues have been serving it up to the government over this issue.

So Pauline now has a chance at life and our thoughts and prayers are with her.

On a sadder note, Jane, a close friend of sister Wendy has been battling ovarian cancer and the latest reports are that it's finally in the terminal stages. We have never met Jane and Peter who hail from New Zealand but our thoughts are with her at this time. Life is cruel sometimes so make the best of it.

The Rudd Government - Heartless Bastards!

How is this for being heartless bastards! Kevin Rudd (our globe-trotting, big-noting under-achiever) and his government, especially Health Minister Nicola Roxon, have virtually condemned a lovely lady to death. They can throw millions at other countries, most of whom hold us in contempt, yet they can allow this beautiful young lady to die because of a few dollars.

Here's the story... you make up your mind....

"SAVE my life" - those are the words 36-year-old Pauline Talty hopes will touch the heart of Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon.

Ms Talty has been told her application for an overseas bowel transplant - an operation yet to be successfully performed in Australia - does not meet the Federal Government's requirements.

Now she fears she will die in hospital, her home for almost 12 months.

What More Could a Bloke Want?

I really wanted to get something special for Charlie for his 21st birthday present. Something he would always remember, something that would always remind him of his 21st and something that he would look at and remember an important period in his life.

So, after much deliberation, I bought him his own chainsaw. He loves helping out cutting the wood for winter and although I have an old chainsaw he uses, there's nothing better for a bloke to have his own special piece of equipment.

 

He loves it!

The Woodcutters

 

The expert team of Woodcutters sorting out Ben's backyard.

Dave - Roy - Tip and Charlie.

RNSH Chapel

The lastest news in this city, and no doubt it will make the news across the country, is that some idiot at Royal North Shore Hospital has decided to be politically correct and has had all the symbols of the Christan faith removed from the hospital chapel, which was built in 1968.

Apparently this was so as not to offend other faiths. Well even the muslims have called the removal stupid and they have no issue with the chapel being a Christian chapel. But there will no doubt be some religious bigots around town who support the move.

Health Minister, the incompetent John Della Bosca, came on the radio and announced he would call for some committee to look into the matter and that everything was being done to keep everyone happy... blah blah blah.

How about this for a solution Minister.... after all, you have the power, or is it that you are as ineffectual as every other Minister in this State government? You personally call the CEO of RNSH and simply say "Put the crosses and other stuff back." If the CEO utters one word of complaint or even says anything other than "yes Minister" then Della Bosca's next sentence should be ... "If they are not back by tomorrow morning then you look for another job... goodbye!" Thats the way Ministers SHOULD run their portfolio.

Don't hold your breath.

Happy Australia Day

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world.

So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read '$10,000 per call'.

The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.

The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it.

He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was.

She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God.

'O.K., thank you,' said the American.

He then travelled all across America, Europe, England, Japan,New Zealand. In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same '$US10,000 per call' sign under it.

The American, decided to travel to Australia to see if Australians had the same phone.

He arrived at the Gold Coast, in Australia and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read '40 cents per call.'

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. 'Father, I've travelled all over the world and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in all of them price was $10,000 per call.

Why is it so cheap here?'

The priest smiled and answered, 'You're in Australia now, son - it's a local call'.

What an Embarrassment!

Kevin 747 has done it again! Our globe-trotting Prime Minister (Kevin 747), who likes to step out onto the world stage at every opportunity and tell the rest of the world how to run everything from their economy to their health system, has recently embarrassed us yet again and in so doing, has come out with the most insensitive remarks to our soldiers in Afganistan.

Not content with turning up and wishing them all well and letting them know they have the support of those back home ... which they do, he then goes on to tell how he dislikes funerals ..."I have been to too many funerals and I don't like going," he said. "But when we say goodbye to one of our own, the nation is united in a common purpose." Yeah right. Just the thing that front line troops need to hear!

Rudd thinks he is a world Statesman... he is a bloody embarrassment.

R.I.P General Aviation in Sydney

I know airports in and around cities in Australia brings out the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) set, but the airports were there before most if not all the current residents moved in so they knew the score. They have set up groups to try and lobby the politicians to close the airports and it seems they have been successful.

Already Hoxton Park airport has been closed and the bulldozers have moved in to make way for more industry.

The news today that the owners of Bankstown Airport (a well known merchant bank) have raised the rents for aviation organisations and closed several pilot training schools spells the death-knell of general aviation is Australia. It is another nail in the coffin and sad to say, it was the Howard Government who started the systematic dismantling of GA in this country. Successive ministers oversaw the rape of a once proud and viable industry.

What makes this all the more hypocritical is how the politicians of all flavours like to trot out the Charles Kingsford-Smith stories, the Lawrence Hargraves flights and how Australia was a pioneer in world aviation. We were once, but a farmer posing as an incompetent transport minister destroyed any future for general and light aviation in Australia.

The Plan

You gotta love Robin Williams......Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.

Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)

'I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan.'

1) 'The US will apologize to the world for our 'interference' in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those 'good 'ole' boys', we will never 'interfere' again.

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines . They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign 'students' over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a 'D' and it's back home baby.

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not 'interfere.' They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us 'Ugly Americans' any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?

'The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' '

It's a tough life!

Sydney Harbour By Night
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

When Liz and I stayed at Traders Hotel in KL back in June it was a return to our favourite hotel in the world. We'd stayed there during our trip to Malaysia in May 2007 and we vowed we'd go back.

Last June we stayed there with my sisters Wendy and Jan and that's a whole other story. But because we'd stayed for 5 days, we scored a free night at any Shangri-La Hotel anywhere in the world.

Well we chose the Shangri-La in Sydney and we enjoyed a wonderful night looking out on the best city view in the world.