Library seminar

Earlier in the year, we both commented that we would like to do a train trip. We thought we would go north on the train, spend a couple of days, hire a car, then return.

I made enquiries but we hadnt talked about an exact date but probably Jul/Aug.

Changing my books at the library last week, they advertised a guest speaker from  Qld rail so I booked in to attend.

The presenter was twenty five minutes late, there was about fifty people waiting and looking around, I think I was one of tge younger ones. Anyway finally the guy arrived and gave us a history lesson which I wasnt expecting and I almost stood and left but he had said that someone else was coming at 10.30.
Much more to my liking and it seems that Rail travel has set tours so we have checked out what we want to go and will take one of their tours.
The one we have chosen has a cruise for a day with snorkling. Much less hassle and eveything will be organised for us. A win/win.

Cute park

This park is in the heart of town, the main road has been cut down so it is not such a raise and the park sits above the road.

The park is not very big and people parktheir cars in the bottom street and walk through it to go to work. There is a massive tree in the middle giving great shade, a few seats to sit and a stone bridge that meanders over a man made stream.

I had driven past it many times and first went there with Lucy to look for a cache. No luck that time.

As I am trying to "clean" out the townI needed to go back here, I didnt take Lucy as she oftens wants to go in different durections to where I want to go.

Last week I stopped off here and found it in quick time, dont know why I hadnt foubd it before. So another smiley rather than a green dot. Two more traditionals and a multi before being able to declare it completed.

A productive sunday

On a blog that I follow, I read that this woman bought and recommended this book. She made every item in it. I looked it up and decided that I would order the book, not onlt did it offer instructions but the patterns were included as well.

Cutting out the pattern first, it said a metre and that was what I boight but it was a tight fit.

Finally the end result at 4pm.

Graham Polly Farmer

Channel flicking the other night we came across this doco.
Being AFL fans, we of course knewof Polly Farmer so we settled down to watch.

He was one of the kids in the stolen generation.  He was five when he was taken to a Catholic school with others. Apparently he settled down and got on with studies andplaying footballon his breaks.

Somewhere he aquired a leather boot and wore it on his left kicking foot, this caused him to walk with a limp in later years.

He played local football in a league near Perth. Very few aborginals were playing in the bigger leagues at that time. He played and coached and took the team to win a grandfinal. Polly was married with a couple young kids by then and Geelong offered him a contract for an unheard of amount of money. The club got him a house and a job. Back then, while footy players were paid to play,they still needed a job outside of football.

Polly Farmer was the first aborginal player who was accepted by the fans, the fewbefore him had suffered name calling and shunned by the fans, often not even able to use the same change rooms.

Polly Farmer changed the way that the game has been played as he introduced a different way to ruck the ball which is still used in the modern game.

He won all the medals on iffer throughout his career. When the doco was made, he was 82 and looked as though he had the start of dementia.

They had lots of footage of club games and ceremonies and his daughter talked about her dad and growing up in a football world. 

Very interesting doco on part of our history.

Jamie

Warren was watching a motogp that he taped and then it went onto Jamie Olivers five ingredients.

One dish that caught our eye in particular was a salmon one.  It consisted of salmon green beans, egg, yoghurt and olives. Sounds a bit weird but it looked good and Warren said that it was making his mouth water.

I needed togo and buy some meat for Lucy so I bought beans and salmon while I was out.

The other plus to this dish was it took eight minutes and one pot. Although I did mix the yoghurt ( I used sour cream as I had plenty) and olives in a seperate bowl.

Mine does look quite as good as Jamies did but it tasted good 

My birthday present

Gifts at our age are always a hassle as we dont need or want much. Often now we will make a request to the other.

My request for my recent birthday was for a robotic vacuumn cleaner, my request was mentioned before Christmas and promply forgotten about until Warren saw an advert and asked if I still wanted one. He then ordered it and it arrived yesterday.

Of course it had to be charged for twelve hours first.

One of the reasons I wanted it was for dog hairs. Lucy is a short haired dog but oh boy does she shed. Sometimes after vaccumning I can still see hair on the floor. I dont think it will take away the need to vacumn altogether but it will help to gather up hair and dust in hard to get at places. It has already been under the table and under the TV cabinet. 

It has been motoring around the house this morning and this what it has picked up! Warren vacced on Saturday morning so it is working. 

Lucy is not too sure about it and she wants to stay right away from it. I will probably set it going each morning while we are out walking. It will be nice to come home to clean floors and Lucy doesnt need to worry about it.

Lunch!

Yum, not today as I am being very good today.

We found a nice cafe where we stayed just north of Auckland at Orewa.

This was our first visit, we had been out walking along the beach side park, there was a market  setting up and while they finished we decided to have a coffee but this fruit tart was calling my name. Little early for lunch but we made it lunch.

We went back the following day and I thought that I should eat within my limits so ordered from the breakfast menu. The three dobs of red had an interesting taste which I couldnt determine so had to ask. It was beetroot mixed with some cream,  it was delightful. 

Pet cafe

Wow, what a great idea, I didnt know they exisited. We were out yesterday, had to go and check on one of our caches that seemed to have gone missing. I thought it would be a good idea to pick up a couple in a park down that way as well.

Lucy and us had a good walk, worked up an appetite. I knew vaguely where we were in regards to a coffee place but wasnt sure how far away it was. Warren told me to pull up Google maps and go from there.

Well, would you look at that, it had a Coffee icon, clicked the button and up popped The Pet Cafe within 2kms. Right, we will go there. Lucy was quite happy to come along, even down the stairs but we didnt see any tables and chairs, we both expected to them outside but nothing.

Warren says to me you go in and see where the cafe is. What a rip off, it was a place selling dog, cat and fish food. There were several large shops in the same block but no outside seating. Luckily from there I did know how to get to another coffee cafe that had outdoor seating which was covered. Lucy sat and was intrigued by the traffic while we ate lunch. She must have felt comfortable as she did have a couple of drinks of water.

Sewing machines

A few weeks ago my sewing machine decided to stop, it had actually seized. I finished the project I was working on using the small second machine that I bought last year, mainly to travel with as it is a lightweight.

Warren offered to have a look at it but he couldnt get it to run again either.

This is what it looked like when he pulled it apart.

So many screws!

This is my little lightweight one which so far is doing all I need.

Poi

Another kids game used for pleasure and to strength the wrists just in case they were needed to weild an attack.

Three women were picked to learn it, basically it was a small ball about the size of a tennis ball on a short string.